Resources

• Autism is a neurological and biological disorder – typically diagnosed in children between the ages of 18 months to 5 years of age – making it difficult for the person to communicate and relate to others. In short, autism prevents areas of the brain from communicating like a typically developing person’s brain.

WHAT CAUSES AUTISM?

• The cause of autism is not yet known. Genetics, vaccines and environmental factors may all play a role in a child developing autism.

SYMPTOMS:

• Delay in learning to talk (or not talking at all) or losing language (regression).
• A child may seem to be deaf or hard of hearing, even though hearing tests are normal (not responding when his/her name is called).
• Repeated and overused types of behavior, interests, and play (repeated body rocking, unusual attachments to objects, lining up objects/toys, adverse reactions to breaks in routines), preference to play alone, lack of eye contact with others.
• Children with autism can have varying behaviors – no two children with autism are the same – some may be less or more severe than others.
• Most people with autism will always have some trouble relating to others. But early diagnosis and treatment have helped more and more people with autism to reach their full potential.

ADDITIONAL FACTS & LINKS:

• A child is diagnosed with Autism every 20 minutes.
• 1 in every 91 children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with Autism. (NOTE: This number does NOT include: PDD, Aspergers and other spectrum disorders. These statistics are endorsed by the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and other federal organizations.) – more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.

Please visit the following sites for facts and information about autism:

Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Autism Society of America (ASA)

Autism Speaks

Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)

For more information about autism and autism resources, please see our Beneficiaries page.