It can range from mild to severe. Some kids with autism have fewer or less serious problems. For example, learning and reasoning can be especially difficult for many kids with autism, but others may learn quickly. In the United States, over 500,000 people have autism or one of several other similar disabilities. Kids who have autism usually start having symptoms between the ages of 18 and 36 months.
More boys have autism than girls.
Autism isn't contagious, which means you can't catch it from someone who has it. The Nemours Foundation is a nonprofit organization devoted to children's health and is the largest physician practice delivering subspecialty pediatric care in the United States. Inc. All rights reserved. KidsHealth and KidsHealth.org are Service Marks of The Nemours Foundation. All information on KidsHealth is for educational purposes only.