Injures himself on purpose. Has trouble learning manual tasks. No child with autism will have all of the above symptoms nor is this a list of all the symptoms. Many years ago, doctors believed that an abnormal relationship between the infant and his or her parents caused autism. Doctors know now that parents are not responsible for this condition.
Autism is a type of brain dysfunction.
The nature of the dysfunction and what part of the brain is affected are not known. Many scientists are trying to discover the cause. Autistic disorder has been found in children with brain abnormalities such as congenital rubella syndrome, neurofibromatosis, and tuberous sclerosis. Your child's doctor will probably perform lab tests to rule out these and other medical problems associated with PDD's. However, most children with autism are found to have normal health and no medical reason for the symptoms.