Psychology Facts

▲ Autism ▲

》Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention. It is important to note that some people without ASD might also have some of these symptoms. But for people with ASD, these characteristics can make life very challenging.

》Autism is known as a "spectrum" disorder because there is wide variation in the type and severity of symptoms people experience.

》Studies have shown that among identical twins, if one child has autism, the other will be affected about 36 to 95 percent of the time. In non-identical twins, if one child has autism, then the other is affected about 31 percent of the time. 

》Researchers don't know the primary causes of ASD, but studies suggest that a person's genes can act together with aspects of their environment to affect development in ways that lead to ASD.
Some factors that are associated with an increased likelihood of developing ASD include:

Having a sibling with ASD
Having older parents
Having certain genetic conditions (such as Down syndrome or Fragile X syndrome)
Having a very low birth weight

》An estimated 40 percent of people with autism are nonverbal. 

》Nearly 28 percent of 8-year-olds with ASD have self-injurious behaviors. Head banging, arm biting and skin scratching are among the most common.

》Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder can vary widely depending on the individual. For some people, symptoms of the disorder are mild, while they may be more pronounced in others.

》Autism spectrum disorders are about 4.5 times more common in boys than girls

》The term stems from the Greek word autos meaning "self", autism literally means "alone".

》There is currently no medical detection or cure for autism spectrum disorder.

》Up to a third of people with autism spectrum disorder also develop seizure disorders—the rate of seizures in people with ASD is 10 times higher than in the general population.

》Hyperlexia, the ability to read above one's age or grade level in school, commonly accompanies autism spectrum disorder.

》Individuals with autism spectrum disorder may be very creative and find a passion and talent for music, theater, art, dance and singing quite easily.

》Females with autism spectrum disorder remain an understudied group in research.

》Celebs with autism:

Woody Allen.

Tim Burton

Bill Gates

Susan Boyle

Dan Aykroyd

Satoshi Tajiri (Creator Of Pokémon)

》Many people with autism spectrum disorder are successfully living and working and contributing to the well being of others in their local communities. This is most likely to happen when appropriate services are delivered during the child's educational years.

》There are three levels of autism: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3

Level 1 ASD is the least severe. This could be viewed as mild autism. People with Level 1 ASD are likely able to communicate verbally. They may be able to have some relationships/have trouble connecting. However, they may struggle maintaining a conversation and making and keeping friends may not come easily or naturally to them.

Level 2 ASD is the middle-range of autism in terms of severity of symptoms and needs for supports. People with Level 2 ASD may or may not communicate verbally. If they do, their conversations may be very short or only on specific topics or they may  need extensive support in order to participate in social activities.

Level 3 ASD is the most severe form of autism spectrum disorder. Although some individuals with Level 3 ASD can communicate verbally (with words), many individuals with Level 3 ASD do not communicate verbally or may not use many words to communicate.
People with Level 3 ASD often struggle with unexpected events. They may be overly or under sensitive to particular sensory input. They have restrictive or repetitive behaviors such as rocking, echolalia, spinning things, or other behaviors that preoccupy their attention.

》People with ASD may face a wide range of issues, which means that there is no single best treatment for ASD. Working closely with a health care provider is an important part of finding the right combination of treatment and services.