Autism can be a confusing disorder that is extremely frustrating to understand, especially when you are trying to communicate with someone diagnosed with autism.  But what exactly is autism?  Who does autism affect and what causes it?

What is autism?
Autism is a serious developmental disorder with no known cure, that lasts a lifetime.   Because the condition is developmental in nature, autism affects a child's ability and skills during the developmental period:  from the time s/he is a baby to adulthood.  Development difficulties characteristic of autism include:

• communication (verbal or non-verbal)
• repetitive behavior and strong interests
• social interaction

A person with autism may have difficulty communicating or expressing emotions; may exhibit unusual learning methods (e.g. arranging items in an orderly way before paying attention) or repetitive behavior during stressful situations, especially before a particular action (e.g. repeating words, phrases, or sentence).  Autism is one of several different disorders referred to as a 'spectrum disorder,' meaning that it just one of several disorders that share similar symptoms.  This spectrum of disorders includes:

• Asperger syndrome
• Autistic disorder (classic autism)
• Childhood disintegrative disorder
• Pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (atypical autism)
• Rett syndrome