In fact, a significant number of children who have had appropriate intervention at a young age have shown dramatic improvement to the point where they can function in typical classroom settings. In accordance with federal guidelines, New York State provides a continuum of educational services for children with disabilities from birth to age 21. From birth through age three, services are coordinated by the State Department of Health. Facts About Children with Autism Autism is a severe disorder of child development that affects multiple aspects of behavior and learning. Although the causes of autism are unknown, research has shown that they are most likely related to genetic or other biological factors.
Females tend to be more intellectually impaired than males.
Most children with autism are not able to benefit from their environment in the same way as children without the disorder. They tend to be socially unresponsive and to have problems understanding social cues expressed in body or spoken language. For the past 16 years, IBR has conducted extensive research on autism. This work has focused on the association between autism and the fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation. Recently, scientists at IBR have developed a computer model of the brain that stimulates some of the learning deficits seen in people with autism.