Awareness of the causes of disabilities and effective prevention and intervention strategies can be helpful to families, service providers, and policymakers in obtaining and providing early and comprehensive care that will help children achieve optimal development. Autism is the third most common developmental disability. Autism is a developmental disorder of brain function that typically appears during the first 3 years of a child s life. Autism interferes with normal development of parts of the brain that are related to reasoning, social interaction, and communication skills. Several different genes probably are responsible for autism and related disorders.
Autism strikes males about four times more frequently than females.
Children with autism usually appear normal physically, but display puzzling and disturbing behaviors that are distinctly different from most other children. Most people with autism remain severely handicapped in their ability to communicate and develop social relationships with others. Prevention of autism is not currently possible. Treatment for autism is focused on communication and social skills development rather than medical interventions. No single treatment works for all individuals.