There is speculation that as many as 1 in 150 children may now be affected by one of the conditions diagnosed on the autistic spectrum so information aimed at the person who has no knowledge about this condition is timely - autism for dummy readers out there.
Please don't take offense at the "autism for dummy" reference.
It's merely to exemplify how out of touch most of us are with this widespread condition.
Read on to learn more about autism.
The first autism for dummy fact is that autism tends to manifest at some stage during the first three years of life with no single cause yet having been identified.
The autism for dummy message here is that autism affects every sufferer differently.
Indeed, as already indicated, there is a range of different autistic conditions that may be diagnosed.
Some of the characteristics of autism,are as follows: A need for sameness and repetition A dislike of change to circumstances or routine Showing inappropriate emotional responses - or no emotional response at all Difficulty relating to others which leads to an air of aloofness Little or no eye contact No real awareness of danger.
Whilst there is no cure for autism, treatments have become available which mean sufferers can be helped to live amongst their non-autistic peers.
The autism for dummy reader here may be interested to reflect that many of those diagnosed with a disorder falling on the autistic spectrum, do not seek a cure.
The autism is just part of who they are.
The main form of help that parents seek is help with inappropriate behavior.
Whilst medication is sometimes used to improve behavior another approach is to enrol the autistic child on a program of behavioral therapy where they can learn to moderate their responses.
Parents of autistic children and anyone reading this article tend to have one thing in common; a desperate need for information to increase their understanding of the condition.
While it is not the remit of a short autism for dummy article to even attempt to provide all the answers there is an excellent resource on autism detailed below which will help.
Not so many years ago, readers of this autism for dummy articles may be surprised to read, autism sufferers were locked away in institutions; the condition was simply not understood.
Whilst there is still a lot not known about this neurological condition there are treatments available that now avoid the need for institutionalization.
This "autism for dummy" article has just attempted to provide a brief overview of autism, much more detailed information can be found here: