| Mental Retardation is not as much a disease as it is a | | | | have normal social and emotional development that is |
| symptom of a variety of psychological conditions. It is a | | | | uncharacteristic of autism. Added to this, their |
| disorder in its own right, though, characterized by | | | | intelligence is unimpaired in any way. |
| intellectual functioning that is well below average. Often | | | | And then there are a number of other diseases and |
| the patient has an IQ of around 70 or less. Patients of | | | | disorders that share a few common symptoms with |
| autistic disorder are not necessarily retarded; they just | | | | autism but do not have anything to do with the |
| may appear so because of the 'withdrawal symptoms' | | | | autism-spectrum. Symptoms such as scratching or |
| that they depict with respect to communication and | | | | biting oneself, head banging, and using objects in the |
| socializing. | | | | immediate environment to hurt oneself happen from |
| Down syndrome has patients suffering from serious | | | | time to time in autism sufferers, but they are also |
| language difficulties and a few cognitive ones. | | | | characteristic of a number of other genetic disorders |
| However, they do not often have the social | | | | like Cornelia de Lange syndrome, Lesch-Nylan, and the |
| withdrawal symptoms that are so heavily | | | | fragile X syndrome. |
| characteristic of classic autism. Quite on the contrary, | | | | You want to know these conditions that share various |
| sufferers of Down-syndrome tend to be rather | | | | similarities to classic autism but as not PDDs -- |
| affectionate and very responsive to others. | | | | pervasive developmental disorders - or part of the |
| Tourette's syndrome is a neurological disorder that is | | | | autism-spectrum. One day, perhaps, you may save a |
| characterized by involuntary body movements and the | | | | life. even when you never thought possible. So - yes, |
| tics, vocal outburst that the patient cannot control. In | | | | no knowledge is ever wasted. |
| between the sudden occurrences, though, the patients | | | | |