Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder of development that lasts throughout a person's life. People with autism have problems with social contact and communication, so they might have problems talking with you, or they might not want to look you in the eye. They sometimes have behaviors that they have to do before they can pay attention, such as lining up their pencils, or that they do over and over, such as saying the same sentence again and again. They may flap their arms to tell you they are happy, or they might hurt themselves to tell you they are not.

One person with autism may have different symptoms or show different behaviors than other people with autism. Because of these differences, health care providers now think of autism as a "spectrum" disorder, or a group of disorders with a range of similar features. Based on their specific strengths and weaknesses, people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) may have mild symptoms or more serious symptoms. But they all have an ASD. In this information, the terms "ASD" and "autism" are used to mean the same thing.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is one of the federal agencies doing research on autism, including its causes, how many people have it, and its treatments.

 first | next | last