According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, autism is not a disease but a developmental disorder of brain function (6:1). People with classical autism show three types of symptoms: impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and imagination, and unusual or severely limited activities and interests (6:1, 12:1). This paper will look at the physiological aspects of autism and where research in this area stands today.
Autism affects an estimated two to 10 of every 10,000 people, depending on the diagnostic criteria used (6, 12). Autism strikes males about four times as often as females, and has been found throughout the world in people of all racial and social backgrounds (6, 12). Symptoms of autism usually appear during the first three years of childhood and continue throughout life. Seventeen infants in a movement analysis study showed disturbances of movement that could be detected clearly at the age of four to six months of age (10:13982-7). These researchers believe that movement disturbances play an intrinsic role in the phenomenon of autism and can be used to diagnose autism in the first few months of life.
Autism varies a great deal in severity, the most severe cases being marked by extremely repetitive, unusual, self-injurious, and aggressive behavior, which may persist over time and prove very difficult to change (6:1). The mildest forms resemble a personality disorder associated with a perceived learning disability. Although there is no cure for autism, appropriate management may foster relatively normal development and reduce undesirable behaviors. Autism does not affect life expectancy.
Diagnosis of autism is based on behavioral criteria determined by a careful developmental history (12:1). Researchers and therapists have developed several sets of diagnostic criteria for autism which include: absence or impairment of imagination and social...