Join Free newsletters and more Vaccines and Autism Read the CDC's discussion and dismissal of the notion that autism can be linked to vaccination. The following information is being provided to help address concerns recently expressed in press reports about a possible association between developmental disorders such as autism and vaccines.
Autism is a chronic developmental disorder.
The main characteristics of autism are problems in social interaction, communication, and restrictive and repetitive interests and activities. Autism may be initially noted in infancy as impaired attachment, but it is most often first identified in toddlers, mostly boys, from 18 to 30 months of age. Boys are 3 to 4 times more likely to be afflicted with autism than girls. Girls as a group, however, may be more severely affected. Correct diagnosis of autism depends on an accurate developmental history focused on types of behaviors typical of autism and on evaluation of current functional skills.