Many children with autism tend to do well with manipulative tasks and have good visual-spatial skills. Some children, known as autistic savants, may even display the ability to perform unusual mental tasks, like memorizing a very large schedule or counting toothpicks quickly. These abilities are amazing in a child suffering from such a strange disorder. The cause of infantile autism is unknown. The once widely held theory that autism is merely a psychological or emotional disturbance has been largely abandoned.
Most theorists now agree that autism is a metabolic or neurological malfunction.
In the past, autism was thought to be caused by unloving and unresponsive parents. However, it is now recognized as a biological disorder of the nervous system. There seems to be some interference with brain development during prenatal life or the first and second years of life. There is a theory that genetics plays a large role in the development of autism. Genetic factors could act directly via a recessive gene that transmits a specific enzymatic effect as in PKU or hemophilia.