This is one of a series of fact sheets on the mental, emotional, and behavior disorders that can appear in childhood or adolescence. The Center for Mental Health Services extends appreciation to the National Institute of Mental Health for contributing to the preparation of this fact sheet. Autism is one of the mental, emotional, and behavior disorders that appears in early childhood. Autism, or autistic disorder, almost always develops within the first 3 years of a child's life. Children and adolescents with autism cannot interact normally with other people.
Autism thus affects many aspects of their development.
Mental health problems affect one in every five young people at any given time. Serious emotional disturbances affect 1 in every 10 young people at any given time. The symptoms of autism range from mild to severe. Although symptoms of autistic disorder sometimes can be seen in early infancy, the condition can appear after months of normal development. In most cases, it is not possible to identify any specific event that triggers autistic disorder.