What Is Autism??

What is autism?How is it defined??

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder.Its symtoms include differences and disabilities in many areas including social communication skills,fine and gross motor skill and sometimes intellectual skills.Autism is also a spectrum disorder.In basic terms, this means you can be a little autistic or very autistic.At one end of the spectrum is Asperger Syndrome, sometimes called 'The Little Professor Syndrome'.At the end of the spectrum is the disorder that is most often called classic or Kannerian autism, which often includes profound developmental delays and challenges.In between are a variety of pervasive developmental disorder including 'Rett Syndrome,Fragile X Syndrome' and 'pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)'.
Not only is autism a spectrum disorder, but recent studies suggest that there may be more than one type of autism.While some autistic people have additional symptoms such as gastrointestinal issues,seizures and even mental illness, others have no such symptoms.