This entry was posted on Friday, March 14th, 2008 at 4:52 pm and is filed under Autism News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Autism Q&A
, 03 14th, 2008
Autism is a neurological, developmental disorder that causes problems with social interaction, communication, inflexible behaviour and obsessive interests. It was first identified by Kanner in 1943.
Autistics and cousins (ACs) typically dislike change, which can lead to rigid routines and repetitive, stereotyped behaviours, and the obsessive interests can get to a point where they interfere with quality of life. However, ACs are individuals like everyone else, and within the diagnostic criteria, there is a huge range. This can make treatment for autism especially challenging.
Many researchers have the view that autism is a continuum, the Autistic Spectrum ranging from the low-functioning, “classically autistic” (so-called “Kanner’s Autism”, from the first doctor to identify the disorder), who may be profoundly disabled, to the high functioning Asperger’s person, who may be able to function in society independantly, even holding down a job, marrying or have a family. Many ACs apparently “move up” the spectrum as they grow up.
The range of intellectual abilities of ACs is also vast, although their true intelligence may be masked by autistic behaviours. Most are thought to be intellectually challenged, but many have an average or well above average intelligence. People who are at this end of the spectrum, with good verbal abilities, are often referred to as “high-functioning autistic” (HFA).
May 6th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
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