Autism is a developmental neurological disorder that is characterized by:

• Impaired social interaction
• Problems in verbal and non-verbal communication
• Display of repetitive behavior and restricted interests
• Autism along with four other – Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) is included in a group of disorders termed as neurodevelopment disorders.

Autistic children do not follow a typical pattern of normal development, some of the milestones are delayed or they develop very late. In some children, the problems are more noticeable when the child lacks other children of same age. Some children start off very well, but between 18-36 months of age, they suddenly stop talking, communicating, act strangely and reject people.

The exact cause of Autism has not been fully understood and there are numerous theories suggesting various causes. There are likely to be multiple causes that interact with each other to result in Autism. Probable causes of Autism are:

Genetic:

• Fragile X syndrome
• Tuberous sclerosis
• Monozygotic twins

Prenatal (during pregnancy) causes:

• Rubella (measles) infection
• Toxoplasmosis
• Cytomegalovirus
• Untreated metabolic disorders
• Anticonvulsant medication
• Brain developmental abnormality

Postnatal:

• Neurological disorder after birth
• Lead encephalopathy
• Bacterial meningitis
• Brain damage
• Mercury poisoning

As every individual possesses a unique personality and characteristics, in the same way, an autistic individual expresses the signs and symptoms in his unique way. However, all autistic individuals have problems in three areas- social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behavior with restricted interests.

• Impaired social interaction:
  • Lacking awareness of the presence of others & unaware of their feelings
  • Expressions of emotions- pleasure, crying, laughing are not obvious
  • Attacking and injuring others without provocation
  • It does not like to be cuddled or to cuddle others. Prefers to be alone
  • Difficulty in communicating with others and making friends
  • Not responding to voice, behaves as if deaf
  • Abnormal response to various senses- hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste, reaction to pain
• Impaired communication:
  • Delay or lack of development of speech. If speech develops, it is abnormal
  • Difficulty in verbal and nonverbal expressions
  • Repeat words and sentences told to them (Echolalia)
  • Little or No eye contact
  • Poor or No facial expressions and gestures
  • The IQ (intelligent quotient) is below average
• Repetitive behavior and restricted interest:
  • Confusion of words “I” and “YOU”
  • Resistant to change want sameness like following the same route to school
  • Repetitive body movements like flapping hands, rocking, banging the head or walking on toes
  • Repetitive movements or plays spinning wheels, turning lights on and off
  • Aggressive and self-injurious behavior
  • Throwing or hitting tantrums
  • Under-activity or hyperactivity
  • Obsessive attachment to certain objects
  • Their voice fails to reflect their feeling- either it is high pitched, or they talk in singing tone or it is the flat robot-like voice
  • No fear of real dangers
  • A desire to keep things in a certain order
• Neurological functions:
  • Seizures- 20-35% of autistic children
  • Mental retardation.