It is a developmental disability. A minority have singular special skills above their general level of functioning. Children with autism are not unruly kids with a behavior problem. Autism is not caused by bad parents who gave their children too little attention. No known factors in the psychological environment of a child have been known to cause or contribute to autism.
Autism is a lifelong disability with no cure and no single effective treatment approach.
Recent evidence points to a genetic origin. The specific gene or genes, however, have not yet been found. Than You Think Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. At the present time, there is no prevention or cure for autism. There are approximately 550,000 individuals with autism, or some form of pervasive developmental disorder, in the United States.