Autism primarily affects communication. People with autism typically have difficulty understanding verbal and nonverbal communication and learning appropriate ways of relating to people and, objects, and events. Autism is the third most common developmental disability following mental retardation and epilepsy. Autism occurs in 1 of every 500 people. It is four times more prevalent in males than females.
Autism occurs in all races and socioeconomic classes.
Family income, lifestyle, or education do not affect whether or not a child will be born with autism. Severe deviations in understanding social relationships - Children with autism may not use eye contact in social interactions, may resist being picked up, and seem to tune out the world. This results in an inability to play with others and an impaired ability to make friends. Inconsistent patterns of sensory responses - The child may appear to be deaf and fail to respond to words and sounds. At other times, a child may be extremely distressed by everyday noises such as a vacuum cleaner or dog barking.