Autism is a developmental disorder that occurs before age three and continues to show symptoms to some degree throughout life. Those symptoms may range from mild, "odd" behaviors like rocking and socially inappropriate actions like never establishing eye contact to nonverbal, low functioning individuals who need protection to keep from harming themselves. The disorder was popularized in the book and ABC-TV movie "Son Rise" by Barry Kaufmann in the late 1970s and later by the movie "Rain Man" in 1988. It is described by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as a "spectrum disorder," in that it can display a variety of configurations over a wide range of mild to disabling symptoms. About 1 in 10,000 children were thought to be born with some form of this congenital disorder around 1980, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists the prevalence at 1 in 150 as of 2007. Males outnumber females 4 to 1 in autistic diagnoses. The causes of autism are unknown as of 2009, with genetic abnormality being a leading contender. Treatment includes a mix of behavior modification, speech therapy and occupational therapy, with mixed results.
Classic Autism
In "classic" autism a child will show symptoms of the disorder by age 18 months. She may seem deaf to noises, be tactile (touch) defensive and have seemingly meaningless, repetitive actions. Speech is often "echolalic" wherein the autistic person will repeat a question rather than answering it. She may show exaggerated distress from inconsequential noises while showing no concern for real danger. Autistic people often display a "splinter skill" in mathematics, music or art while testing well below her developmental age in I.Q. This may prompt observers to describe the child as "idiot savant," to describe the paradox of being developmentally delayed in social and communication areas while being extremely talented in another area.
Asperger Syndrome
On the autism spectrum, Asperger syndrome describes an autistic person who tests in the normal range of I.Q. while displaying some of the odd behaviors of autism. An Asperger patient may be able to function fairly normally in society, although social contacts, communication and emotional responses to daily activities and situations may seem strange. This condition is described as the mildest form of autism.
PPD-NOS (Atypical Autism)
Pervasive developmental disorder---not otherwise specified (PPD-NOS) is the acronym for a somewhat "in between" spectrum of autistic diagnosis which isn't as severe as "classic" autism nor as mild and sometimes unremarkable as Asperger syndrome. Social and academic abilities for the PPD-NOS child may be mostly age-appropriate, but repetitive actions, emotional response to others and exaggerated responses to noise or sensory stimulation may seem in the "classic autistic" range.
References
- Yale University Child Study Center: PDD-NOS
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; American Psychiatric Association; 1994
