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| The '''autism spectrum''', also called '''autism spectrum disorders''' (ASD) or '''autism spectrum conditions''' (ASC), with the word '''autistic''' sometimes replacing '''autism''', is a ] characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, as well as severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavior.<ref>{{cite book |chapterurl=http://www.who.int/classifications/apps/icd/icd10online/?gf80.htm+f840 |date=2006 |accessdate=2007-06-25 |title= International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems |edition= 10th ed. (]) |author= ] |chapter= F84. Pervasive developmental disorders}}</ref> | |||
| The three main forms of ASD are autism, Asperger syndrome, and PDD-NOS. ] forms the core of the autism spectrum disorders. ] is closest to autism in signs and likely causes. ] is diagnosed when the criteria are not met for a more specific disorder. Some sources also include ] and ], which share several signs with autism but may have unrelated causes.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Lord C, Cook EH, Leventhal BL, ] |title= Autism spectrum disorders |journal=Neuron |volume=28 |issue=2 |date=2000 |pages=355–63 |doi=10.1016/S0896-6273(00)00115-X |pmid=11144346 |url=http://download.neuron.org/pdfs/0896-6273/PIIS089662730000115X.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref> Unlike autism, Asperger's has no significant delay in ].<ref>{{cite book |title= Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders |edition=4th ed., text revision (]) |author= ] |date=2000 |isbn=0890420254 |chapter= Diagnostic criteria for 299.80 Asperger's Disorder (AD) |chapterurl=http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/asperger.htm}}</ref> | |||
| The terminology of autism can be bewildering, with autism, Asperger's and PDD-NOS sometimes called the ''autistic disorders'' instead of ASD,<ref>{{cite journal |author= Freitag CM |title= The genetics of autistic disorders and its clinical relevance: a review of the literature |journal= Mol Psychiatry |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=2–22 |date=2007 |doi=10.1038/sj.mp.4001896 |pmid=17033636}}</ref> whereas autism itself is often called ''autistic disorder'', ''childhood autism'', or ''infantile autism''. ASD, in turn, is a subset of the broader autism ] (BAP), which describes individuals who may not have ASD but do have autistic-like ], such as avoiding eye contact.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Piven J, Palmer P, Jacobi D, Childress D, Arndt S |title= Broader autism phenotype: evidence from a family history study of multiple-incidence autism families |journal= Am J Psychiatry |date=1997 |volume=154 |issue=2 |pages=185–90 |pmid=9016266 |url=http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/154/2/185.pdf |format=PDF}}</ref> | |||
| One ] estimated a prevalence of at least 1.3 per 1,000 for autism and 6.0–6.5 per 1,000 for ASD; ] was the vast majority of ASD, ] was about 0.3 per 1,000 and the atypical forms ] and ] were much rarer.<ref>{{cite journal |journal= J Clin Psychiatry |date=2005 |volume=66 |issue= Suppl 10 |pages=3–8 |title= Epidemiology of autistic disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders |author= ] |pmid=16401144}}</ref> | |||
| ==Autistic traits== | |||
| Behaviorally, certain characteristics identify the autism spectrum. The type, severity and/or number of autistic traits present determines the severity of ] in the individual. These autistic traits may be beneficial for some disciplines like ], ], ] and ]. Some autistic individuals might show a marked proficiency in rote memorization which may help learn the foundation of these subjects; however, the exceptionally good aptitude (in these subjects) of high functioning autistic spectrum persons may be due to their ability to readily identify patterns and apply them consistently to new situations outside of established knowledge or teaching. These ] skills, although popularly considered to be a major part of autistic disorders, are evident only in a small fraction of autistic individuals, with estimates of the fraction ranging from 0.5 to 10%.<ref>{{cite web |author= Treffert DA |title= Savant syndrome: an extraordinary condition—a synopsis: past, present, future |publisher= Wisconsin Medical Society |date=2006 |url=http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/savant_syndrome/overview_of_savant_syndrome/synopsis |accessdate=2008-03-24}}</ref> | |||
| Contrary to popular belief, people on the autism spectrum are capable of reading facial expressions, social reasoning and understanding stereotypes. Eighteen children ages 10 to 14 were able to attribute a range of mental states to dynamic and static facial expressions, but not as great as their neurotypical peers. The autistic children were better at recognizing mental states when the eyes and mouth conveyed information than when these facial features were static and neutral. In a second experiment, children 11 to 15 were just as capable as their neurotypical peers at interpreting mental states whether it was the eyes in isolation or in the context of the whole face.<ref>{{cite journal | |||
| | author = Back E, Ropar D, Mithcell, P | |||
| | date = March/April 2007 | |||
| | title = Do the Eyes Have It? Inferring Mental States From Animated Faces in Autism | |||
| | journal = Child Development | |||
| | volume = 78 | |||
| | issue = 2 | |||
| | pages = 397–411 | |||
| | doi = 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01005.x | |||
| | accessdate = 2008-02-16 | |||
| | laysummary = http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070326095410.htm | |||
| | laysource = ScienceDaily | |||
| | laydate = 2007-03-27 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| Autistic people may be prone to commiting social '']'' due to an inability to predict the reactions of and understand the intent, needs and desires of those around them{{Fact|date=April 2008}}. This may cause neglection of social niceties, like knocking on doors before entering or returning a greeting. Similarly, they may be overly trusting or paranoid of strangers{{Fact|date=April 2008}}. Autistic children generally want to develop social relationships and are actually able to build relationships with peers through social skills training.<ref>{{cite press release | |||
| | date = 2006-07-13 | |||
| | title = New book offers social skills solutions for children with autism spectrum disorders | |||
| | accessdate = 2008-02-16 | |||
| | url = http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/3715.html | |||
| | publisher = Indiana University | |||
| }}</ref> People with autism can also be taught how society works by using virtual reality simulations to learn about the complex rules of society.<ref>{{cite journal | |||
| | author = | |||
| | date = | |||
| | title = Virtual Reality Teaches Autistic Children Street Crossing, Study Suggests | |||
| | journal = | |||
| | volume = | |||
| | issue = | |||
| | pages = | |||
| | doi = | |||
| | accessdate = 2008-02-16 | |||
| | laysummary = http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113309.htm | |||
| | laysource = ScienceDaily | |||
| | laydate = 2008-01-29 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| Being on the autism spectrum does not keep these individuals from understanding social roles and stereotypes in a society, many of them can understand the role of a cashier in a super market to locking doors in a bad neighborhood.<ref>{{cite journal | |||
| | author = Hirschfeld L, Bartmess E, White S, Frith U | |||
| | date = 2007 | |||
| | title = Can autistic children predict behavior by social stereotypes? | |||
| | journal = Curr Biol. | |||
| | volume = 17 | |||
| | issue = 12 | |||
| | pages = R451–2 | |||
| | pmid = 17580071 | |||
| | accessdate = 2008-02-16 | |||
| | laysummary = http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070618124614.htm | |||
| | laysource = ScienceDaily | |||
| | laydate = 2007-06-19 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| ==Diagnostic criteria and techniques== | |||
| When the rising ] of autism spectrum disorders sparked research in the late 1990s, medical opinion initially attributed the increase to improved diagnostic screening or changes in the definition of autism. In ], the fourth major revision of the ] (DSM-IV) was published with updated criteria for the diagnosis of autism and autism spectrum disorders.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Tidmarsh L, Volkmar FR |title= Diagnosis and epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders |journal= Can J Psychiatry |volume=48 |issue=8 |pages=517–25 |date=2003 |pmid=14574827 |url=http://ww1.cpa-apc.org:8080/Publications/Archives/CJP/2003/september/tidmarsh.asp}}</ref> Professional medical associations, including the ], say that this revision was an important factor in increasing the apparent prevalence of autism and a 2005 study by ] researchers found increases in autistic spectrum disorder diagnoses followed the revisions in DSM criteria and changes in funding for special education programs.<ref>{{cite journal |journal= Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med |date=2005 |volume=159 |issue=1 |pages=37–44 |title= The incidence of autism in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1976-1997: results from a population-based study |author= Barbaresi WJ, Katusic SK, Colligan RC, Weaver AL, Jacobsen SJ |doi=10.1001/archpedi.159.1.37 |pmid=15630056 |url=http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/159/1/37}}</ref> | |||
| An increased awareness of autistic spectrum disorders by parents and pediatricians may have also led to increased reporting of Autism due to 'case substitution', which occurs when children with other disorders are identified as autistic.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Pediatrics |date=2006 |volume=117 |issue=4 |pages=1028–37 |title= The contribution of diagnostic substitution to the growing administrative prevalence of autism in US special education |author= Shattuck PT |doi=10.1542/peds.2005-1516 |pmid=16585296 |url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/117/4/1028 |laysummary=http://www.news.wisc.edu/12368 |laydate=2006-04-03}}</ref> This misdiagnosis may occur for several reasons including an increase in government funding for care of children diagnosed as autistic, but not for children with a similar degree of disability and need. If this is occurring, it means that children who in the past would probably have been diagnosed as having a learning disability or a psychiatric disorder, or not diagnosed at all, are recorded as cases of autistic spectrum disorder.<ref>{{cite journal |journal= Harv Mag |date=2008 |volume=110 |issue=3 |pages= 27–31, 89–91 |title= A spectrum of disorders |author= Pettus A |url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2008/01/a-spectrum-of-disorders.html}}</ref> | |||
| Dr. Fred Volkmar, a Yale University autism researcher, has said that "]" was prompted by better services for autism.<ref name="cnn2003">{{cite news | |||
| |title=Uncovering autism's mysteries: Is there more autism? Or just a new definition? | |||
| |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/conditions/03/02/autism.ap/ | |||
| |publisher=Associated Press | |||
| |date=2003-03-02 | |||
| |accessdate=2007-12-30 | |||
| |quote='Autism is kind of a fashionable diagnosis,' Volkmar said. 'Everybody's interested in getting better services.' | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| *{{dmoz|Health/Mental_Health/Disorders/Neurodevelopmental/Autism_Spectrum}} | |||
| * at the ] | |||
| * at the ] | |||
| * | |||
| {{Pervasive developmental disorders}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 21:35, 14 April 2008
Look somewhere else for information. Trust me, this site is REALLY unreliable!