Autism on the Rise

A common question people ask nowadays is, "What is Autism?" Most people know very little about autism. What little do people know usually comes from movies and TV, and it usually is not true. So then, many people have “common misconceptions” about autism, and the people affected by it. Autism was first discovered by and viewed as a disease was by Leo Kanner, a scientist, in 1943. There are many causes to autism, many that are just theories, there are a lot of symptoms, but up to this day there hasn’t been a cure for it. The rates of people being diagnosed with autism is increasing everyday, many parents, teachers, and the general public do not have the knowledge to help autistic people. More autistic children will be place in childcare and preschools. This is why people need to understand the affects of learning and development with autistic children.

According to the Autism Society of American website (www.autism-society.org), Autism is defined as “the brain disorder that starts in the very early years of a child and stays throughout adulthood. It affects three areas of development: verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play.” “It is a severe disorder of communication and behavior. It is a developmental disability that prevents individuals from properly understanding what they see, hear and sense.” (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders;American Psychiatric Association, 1994)

It is shown that autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and also racial, ethnic, family income, lifestyles or educational levels do not affect the chance of autism occurring. Whatever the cause, it is seen that children with autism are born with the disorder or with the chance to develop it.

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Unfortunately, their is very little known about the causes of autism.

However, according to research from the Autism Research Institiute Project, “current theories indicate a problem with the function...