| Autism is a highly variable chronic brain development | | | | and ASD patients. More often than not, these are |
| disorder that begins very early in life. Most patients | | | | displayed by patients who have psycho-pathological |
| start developing the classical symptoms of autism and | | | | disorders. |
| Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) at the age of six | | | | Often when they communicate, autistic children tend to |
| months, with most patients beginning to have more | | | | use non-verbal languages and touches more than |
| pronounced symptoms between the ages two and | | | | words and phrases. This is because the majority of |
| three, and progress until adulthood without remission. | | | | them, with the exclusion of those patients who have |
| These symptoms, which include impaired speech | | | | higher mental development, failed to develop natural |
| development, communication, and social interaction, | | | | speech. The onset of common speech milestones is |
| repetitive and restrictive interests and behaviors, are | | | | limited as shown by the delay in babbling, ability to form |
| the hallmarks of autistic behaviors. | | | | and combine jargons, and ability to use vocabulary |
| As is already apparent, there are three dimensions to | | | | properly. |
| autistic behaviors- social development, communication, | | | | In fact, the majority of them are stuck with unusual |
| and repetitive behavior. | | | | gestures and vocal patterns. As the condition worsens, |
| Impaired social development separates autism and | | | | patients become less responsive and unable to share |
| ASDs from other developmental disorders, whether | | | | their experiences and emotions. The use of reverse |
| physical or cognitive, and from normal children. One | | | | pronouns (a language abnormality that is marked by |
| mark of autism is a child's decreased ability to react to | | | | one's reference of oneself as "she", "he", "you" and |
| social stimuli or the nuances of communication. They | | | | proper names) and echolalia (a symptom common |
| also have poor eye contact and may have difficulty | | | | among patients of ASDs that involves the repetition of |
| understanding the concept of taking turns. Because | | | | another person's vocalization) also become more |
| autistic children also have little to no social | | | | evident, and so does failure to develop joint attention |
| understanding, they are more spontaneous when | | | | properly (the process that uses nonverbal means such |
| interacting with other people. | | | | as pointing to direct another person's attention to a |
| They also have lessened ability to understand social | | | | stimulus or object). Their impairments often give them |
| communication, conventions, and social understanding; | | | | their characteristic autistic behaviors. |
| they also score poorly in tests of identifying faces as | | | | Autistics often display repetitive and restrictive |
| well as recognition of emotions. They, however, have | | | | behaviors. It is not uncommon for them to have |
| the capacity to become attached to their primary | | | | compulsive behaviors, to be locked with stereotypy or |
| caregivers and develop bonds with a small number of | | | | forms of repetitive movements such as head rolling, |
| friends. For them, quality counts more than quantity. | | | | and hand flapping, and to have resistance to change. |
| Autistic behaviors may also extend to violence and | | | | They are also associated with ritualistic behaviors and |
| aggression. Although conclusive evidence are yet to | | | | limited focus and interest. These patients also have the |
| be established, different studies suggest that violent | | | | tendency to hurt themselves, whether slightly or |
| and aggressive behaviors are not exclusive to autistic | | | | seriously. |