Autism: Know the Facts

According to the Mayo Clinic,approximately three to six out of every 1,000 children in the United Stateshave autism. It's not clear whether this is due to better detection andreporting of autism, a real increase in the number of cases, or both. What isclear is that though there is no cure for autism.

Intensive, early treatment canmake an enormous difference in the lives of many children with the disorder. Readmore about the treatment options for children with autism in parentingmagazines like Parents, Parents and Parent & Child magazine.

Doctors and researchers arestill learning about the genetics of autism, which is complex. Some theories onthe genetics of autism include multi-gene interactions or by rare genemutations. Causes of the disorder are still being researched but somepossibilities are genetic errors, environmental factors and problems duringlabor and delivery.

One of the biggest controversiesin medicine right now is whether childhood vaccines contribute to causingautism. While this cause has been researched, no scientific evidence linkingthe two has been found; still many parents including actress Jenny McCarthyargue there is a link. Time magazine recently interviewed McCarthy on her viewson autism. McCarthy’s son has the disorder.

Many children show signs ofautism in early infancy. Other children may develop normally for the first fewmonths or years of life but then suddenly become withdrawn, aggressive or loselanguage skills they've already acquired. Though each child with autism islikely to have a unique pattern of behavior, common signs of the disorderinclude but are not limited to:

• Doesn’t respond to his or her name
• Poor eye contact
• Appears not to hear you at times
• Resists physical touch like cuddling and holding
• Seems unaware of others' feelings
• Starts talking later than other children
• Loses previously acquired ability to say words or sentences
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While babies develop attheir own pace and don't exactly follow timelines, the time to seek medicaladvice if your child shows signs of delayed development by 18 months. If yourchild has already been diagnosed with autism, keep up with the latest researchand news by reading Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine.