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Autism

Updated: May 29, 2021

As a developmental disability, autism affects countless children each year. It disturbs one’s communication and social life significantly.


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According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated one in fifty-four children in the United States today. Continue to read this article to learn more about autism, including its characteristics, signs and symptoms, and treatment.


 

Characteristics

Autism, also known as ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder, refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. People with autism communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. Some people with autism need help during their daily lives while others are seen as gifted in a specific area because of their unusual ways of thinking and learning.


Signs and symptoms

Listed below are some symptoms of autism according to the CDC.

  • Have trouble relating to others or does not have an interest in other people at all

  • Avoid contact and want to be alone

  • Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings

  • Prefer not to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to

  • Appear to be unaware when people talk to them, but respond to other sounds

  • Be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play, or relate to them

  • Repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language

  • Have trouble expressing their needs using typical words or motions

  • Repeat actions over and over again

  • Have trouble adapting when a routine changes

  • Have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound

  • Lose skills they once had

Treatment

Although there is no cure for autism, some treatment can improve a child’s development. When a child is still young, services and therapies can help the child talk, walk, and interact with others. Moreover, treatment for particular symptoms, such as speech therapy for language delays, can be applied without formal autism diagnosis.


 

Hope this article helped you learn more about autism. Thanks for reading!


 

Written by: Benetta Wang


 

Sources:


“Basics About Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | NCBDDD | CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html.


“What Is Autism?” Autism Speaks, www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.



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