Although there was not a lot of information given in the text books, I chose Autism. As mentioned in the book, “Autism is present in about one in 500 children (Filipek et al., 2000) and affects three to four times as many boys as girls (Rodier, 2000).” Usual identified within the first few years of life, Children often seem to show a lack of sociability, even with their parents, and appear to be in their own worlds. Some evidence typically shown in autistic children is strange motor behavior, such as repeating body movements endlessly or walking constantly on tiptoe. Their play is not like that of normal children. They are not at all social and may use toys in odd ways, such as constantly spinning the wheels on a toy truck or tearing paper into strips.

Some other information given when searching on the web, are red flags such as these:

• Does not babble or coo by 12 months

• Does not gesture (point, wave, grasp) by 12 months

• Does not say single words by 16 months

• Does not say two-word phrases on his or her own by 24 months

• Has any loss of any language or social skill at any age.

(Autism Society of America)

There is no true way of diagnosing autism other than seeing the behavioral and social signs. There are no tests, and the cause is unknown. According to our text book, “Most theorists believe that it results almost entirely from biological conditions. Some causes of mental retardation, such as fragile X syndrome (see Chapter 8, Intelligence and Mental Abilities), also seem to increase the risk of autistic disorder.” Also stated, “Autism may result from faulty development of brain stem structures during the early prenatal period (Rodier, 2000).” The symptoms, according to the ASA, usually become properly visible during the childhood (24months-6years).

The ASA also lists on their site four different screening tests used in helping determine if a child has autism. Those are as follows:

1. CARS rating system (Childhood Autism Rating Scale),...