What exactly is autism?

Question

I have had different people tell me they or someone they know is autistic, and none of those people had the same symptoms. And one of my friends says she is not autistic, and has ADD, yet I heard teahcers saying she was autistic... And I don't want to walk up to someone and say something rude or beside the point and risk hurting someone, because that is something that can really hurt sombody... :(

Answer 1

autism is when you arent really 'with' it. You're kinda in your own little world. They also develop obsessions and such. Its a very complicated desease.

Answer 2

Autism is a mental disorder characterized by lack of normal social behaviors, (alot of autistic people don't have friends, becuase they don't know "HOW" to make and keep frienships), many of them have speech problems and are slow learners. On the other hand, some people with autism will be very bad in school, but are highly intelligent in a specialized area (say, cars or sound systems). But keep in mind, there are different levels of autism, and no individual with autism exhibits the exact same behaviors as another person with autism. So far, there is alot of research being done discovering possible causes of autism. There may be a genetic inheritability factor there. Autism cannot be genetically screened (unlike down syndrome, which is a chromosomal disorder caused by an extra chromosome), so you cannot tell a person is autistic until they are observed by a psychologist and screened to have it. That's part of the reason why autism is so hard to pinpoint in many patients.

Hope this explanation helped!

Answer 3

What is Autism?

Autism is a life-long developmental disorder that seriously affects the way individuals communicate and interact with those around them. It usually manifests itself during the first three years of life.

Autism is often referred to as a "spectrum disorder," meaning that its symptoms and characteristics can present themselves in a variety of combinations, ranging from mild to quite severe.

The phrase “autism spectrum disorders (ASD)” refers to a broad definition of autism including the classical form of the disorder as well as Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Rett's syndrome, Asperger syndrome, and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.

How is Autism Manifested?

Impaired communication and social interaction are the most fundamental symptoms of autism. Individuals with autism have serious problems interacting with others and often avoid eye contact. As many as fifty percent of individuals with autism are non-verbal and up to eighty percent are intellectually challenged. A small percentage is gifted with extreme artistic or technical ability.

Common behaviours include seemingly purposeless repetitive behaviour, unusual responses to people or attachments to objects, resistance to change, and extreme sensory sensitivity.

Answer 4

Autism is NOT  a mental disorder.  I have a son with autism and am an autism advocate.  The following quote is directly from the Autism Society of America.  

"Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees - this is why early diagnosis is so crucial. By learning the signs, a child can begin benefiting from one of the many specialized intervention programs."

Answer 5

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autis...

You're better off reading about it than someone on here telling you about it.

Answer 6

"Autism" a very broad spectrum disorder.

You have very low functioning indiviuals who can't talk or really understand.  The lowest on the spectrum will even have difficulty understanding what you are trying to communicate with pictures.  (Show them pictures of different foods for them to pick what they want for supper & they get upset because they can't eat the pictures!)  

Then there are those very high on the spectrum  Bill Gates is suspected of being autistic.  Albert Einstein might have been as well.  

Most are in between.

And then there are different issues those with autism may face.  

Most with autism have social difficulties.  My uncle (undiagnosed, but I suspect very high on the spectrum) would say things that seemed so insulting & he would not understand why people got offended.  He was just stating a fact.  

Some people with autism will be crippled socially, some will just have difficulties.

People with autism can have obsessive traits & mannerisms.  Some may obsessively line up stuff (like "Monk" on TV) and some might rock & flap their hands.  But some might just be annoyed by things out of place.

There are so many different ways the different issues can express themselves.