More than 3 million have autism
Autism spectrum disorder is more common than people know.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 3 million Americans live with the disorder.But what is autism spectrum disorder?The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke say that autism spectrum disorder is "a range of complex neurodevelopment disorders, characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior."There are varying degrees of ASD, including autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified and Asperger's syndrome.Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism research and advocacy organization, says that "ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention, and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some persons with ASD excel in visual skills, music, math and art."Autism typically appears in early brain development, usually when the child is between 2 and 3 years of age; but sometimes it can be diagnosed later in life.Of those diagnosed, boys are five times more common to have autism thangirls.Research has found that there is no one cause to autism, but scientists have identified rare gene changes that are associated with the disorder but usually are paired with other risk genes and environmental factors that influence early brain development.For more information:• Autism Speaks:
www.autismspeaks.org• Autism Society of America: www.autism-society.org• Autism Information Center:
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism• Autism Research Institute:
www.autism.com• KidsHealth:
www.kidshealth.org/ kid/health_problems/brain/autism.html• National Autism Association:
www.nationalautismassociation.org• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke:
www.ninds.nih.gov• Talk About Curing Autism:
www.talkaboutcuringautism.org• World Autism Awareness Day:
www.worldautismawarenessday.org• Children's Disabilities Information: Books about autism: