| Autism must have been around for a very long time, | | | | Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness characterized |
| but no one had a clue about its existence until early in | | | | by such symptoms as bizarre behavior, loss of |
| the last century. It wasn't even until later -- in the 1940s | | | | contact with reality, disorganized thinking and speech, |
| -- that American psychiatrist Leo Kanner first | | | | decreased emotional expressiveness, and social |
| described its specific symptoms, leading to the | | | | behavior, as well as a few others. It is not hard to see |
| classification of the disorder amongst about four other | | | | how a psychiatrist could have mistaken autism for a |
| related diseases. | | | | smaller 'symptom' of schizophrenia after you have |
| Before this time, autism had been mistaken for a | | | | read these symptoms. Even today, mistakes still occur |
| whole number of other diseases, and even as a | | | | occasionally if a careful diagnostic process is not |
| symptom of some of them. It's important to acquaint | | | | carried out. |
| yourself with these symptoms and diseases that are | | | | There are quite a number of other ailments, which |
| not autism or autistic disorder, but that were close | | | | have symptoms like autism. Down syndrome, mental |
| enough to fool medical professionals and scientists for | | | | disorder and Tourette's disorder are examples of such. |
| centuries before our time. You never know, you may | | | | That's why learning as much as you can about autism |
| run into some mentally challenged patient someday, | | | | is critically important. When it comes to health issues |
| and what you read in the next few lines may come in | | | | such as this, ignorance is certainly not bliss! |
| handy. | | | | |