Autism

A description of a condition labeled Asperger's syndrome first appeared in 1981. Different people had done research on the condition since then, but symptoms were not clearly described until 1989-1991 by several different researchers. DSM is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association. In 1994, Asperger's Syndrome was added to the DSM. Until a condition appears in the DSM, it does not receive much recognition in the US. Before that, it was sometimes called "autistic psychopathy", "schizoid disorder of childhood", "atypical autism", "social skills learning disability", "nonverbal learning disability", or whichever trait seemed to be causing the most difficulty, such as obsessive-compulsiveness. This breaks the criteria into six categories:

* impaired social interaction * restricted repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities * impaired social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning * no delay in language development * no delay in cognitive development * does not meet criteria for other pervasive developmental disorders or schizophrenia disorders

The European equivalent of the DSM published by the World Health Organization is known as the ICD (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems). It included Asperger's Syndrome in the 1992 publication. This breaks the criteria into four categories:

* no delay in language or cognitive development * abnormalities in reciprocal social interaction * intense, circumscribed interest or restricted repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities * does not meet criteria for other pervasive developmental disorders, schizophrenia disorders, or several other disorders Lars Christopher Gillberg has done significant research on autism and Asperger's Syndrome, and the criteria he developed is considered by those who actually work with children to be more accurate. It was published in 1989. He has six categories of criteria:

* social impairments * narrow interests * repetitive routines * speech and language abnormalities * non-verbal communication problems * motor clumsiness Peter Szatmari also proposed diagnostic criteria for Asperger's Syndrome in 1989. He has four categories of criteria:

* social isolation * impaired social interaction * impaired non-verbal communication * speech and language peculiarities M. S. Garnett and Tony Attwood developed a questionnaire to identify Asperger's Syndrome, which is known as The Australian Scale for Asperger's Syndrome, which was published in 1997. It has a checklist divided into six categories: social and emotional abilities, communication skills, cognitive skills, specific interests, movement skills, and other characteristics.

Tony Attwood's and Carol Gray's criteria is listed as "discovery criteria", rather than diagnostic criteria, because it focuses on the strengths of a person with AS. It looks at Asperger's Syndrome from a different point of view.

Links for each set of diagnostic criteria are below.

Autistic women can absolutely get pregnant. The fact that a person is on the Autism spectrum does not interfere with their ability to carry and raise children.

Furthermore, being pregnant does not affect autism, nor does autism affect pregnancy as far as is known.

For some people's cases, yes, their symptoms can change over time or with age. Scientists have learned this from testing the autistic brain as a person got older, and discovered that some improve in their skills to communicate to others and register people's words quicker and without as much struggle. This could also be because of developed therapies that scientists have designed for certain cases.

Also, since the 1980's the amount of autistic people around the world has nearly doubled in size! Scientists are still searching for a cure, which now more and more people require.

For more information go to "www.kidshealth.org". That's how I got my info!

Yes. You might even have gone without any diagnosis at all if you were high-functioning or your parents were particularly determined not to have you labeled with anything. Before the identification of autism as a syndrome, many autistic children were labeled "retarded"; those who couldn't be labeled that way were often said to be "lazy" "immature", or "spoiled". Others were just too quiet to cause much concern to overburdened teachers, or intelligent enough not to have problems with grades. Yet others were thought to have mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or bipolar disorder. As autism becomes more well-known, adult diagnosis is increasing.

Each person with AS is going to have different abilities, not necessarily "special needs." As an adult Aspie, I would like understanding, acceptance, tolerance, and patience from the rest of society. (Of course if everyone were to accept and live by these principles, the world would be a much better place!) My whole life I have felt different, like I just couldn't fit in. I was teased and bullied, I was abused. All I have ever wanted was to feel accepted, yet it is the one thing I can't achieve and have been prevented from attaining. If you know someone with AS, try to overlook the quirks, make them feel wanted and loved; help them if they ask for it. We want the same things as everyone else, we just don't know how to express it in socially acceptable ways all the time.

Yes. Nichole recently put out a video on autism awareness, which also states the she a mild, high functioning form of Autism

This, however has nothing to do with her singing ability or physical features.

It can if it effects the person enough. Someone with Aspergers should experience a normal lifespan (like anyone with autism) however if they have specific interests this can risk themselves to be in dangerous situations.

Autism is not like a deformity which can certainly shortne lifespan but rather it is somethign someone lives with mentally for the rest of thier lives.

The website provided below provides a comprehensive list of tips and suggestions if one suspects that a child has Autism. It is extremely important to take action immediately... time is of the essence as early intervention is a crucial factor in determining best outcomes.

There are no signs for autism in the womb - autism can only be detected once born, the youngest age signs of autism can be observed would be 6 months old, but many people don't get diagnosed until later in life.

People don't develop Autism after birth, Autism is a neurological difference so it is a result of brain development while still developing in the womb. It's believed that Autism starts during the second trimester of pregnancy. A person is born Autistic.

It's not a question of importance - it's a question of how important it is to know about it. I was born with Asperger's Syndrome and I wasn't diagnosed until 2000. My entire life was "messed up" but after being diagnosed, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and I did extensive research to help myself. I also take medications for depression and anxiety and get counseling.

Autism Awareness is associated with the hate group Autism Speaks - they seek to increase awareness by implying that autism is a tragedy in order to increase their profits. They use blue because it is their companies brand colour, it reminds people of their organisation so they are more likely to donate to them rather than to autism organisation that support autistic people.

Increased susceptibility to infections, eczema, and excessive bleeding are the hallmarks of WAS, although the symptoms can vary significantly

The related question "What are signs of Asperger's Syndrome?" has a list of characteristics associated with Asperger's Syndrome - many of which are also associated with autism. It is often easier to diagnose autism at age 3 than Asperger's Syndrome at age 3, but the conditions have many traits in common. The related question also includes some traits that are more often seen in children than adults, but many traits can be seen to one extent or another in both children and adults.

At the age of three, atypical language use, social interaction, and play could be noticeable. Unusual or avoidant eye contact could have been apparent before age three. Sensory issues, such as oversensitivity or undersensitivity to touch or sounds, could have been an issue since the child was born. A preference for routine, such as the same food, same drinking glass, same chair, same play area, could become more noticeable as the child ages and voices his or her preferences (or distress over the change). You also might notice repetitive behaviors.

"Worse" is a subjective measure, and there is no answer for this. ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder can be a difficult condition to live with. Adding Hyperactivity Disorder to it only makes it worse. Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder is a completely different matter and bears no comparison to ADD or ADHD.

One of the greatest helps an aspie adult can receive is introduction to other aspies, either in person or through online communities. Through mutual sharing and support, aspies are often able to bring understanding and insights to this difficult situation.

An aspie is capable of learning to behave more like a neurotypical person. However, this education is rather like teaching a left handed person to write with their right hand. It will never feel as natural for them as it does for people born right handed. In the same sense an aspie can learn acceptable rules of social behavior, but may never quite feel intuitive or natural in applying them.

It depends on what country you're looking at. In the UK around 80% of autistic people are neither in education or full-time employment, most people are capable and willing to work but prejudice prevents them finding full-time work. I would imagine that figures are similar in the US and other Western contries too.

Most studies focus on autism or autism spectrum disorders, rather than Asperger's Syndrome specifically. More than one chromosome is linked to autism spectrum disorders. The chromosomes involved according to various studies are listed below.

A few sites providing information on the genetics of autism highlight results about several of the chromosomes:

Exploring Autism: A Look at the Genetics of Autism

Autism is Likely to Be Linked to Several Genes

There are also articles that could be available through your library's electronic database subscriptions or available in journal form from an academic library. Some hospitals also subscribe to electronic databases with medical information and allow public access.

Autism: In Search of Susceptibility Genes - abstract (August, 2002)

Links to the articles at ScienceDaily.com about studies on certain chromosomes are provided below in the related links section.

Chromosome 2:

Researchers Identify First Gene Variant That Appears to Increase Risk of Autism in Significant Portion of the Population (April 1, 2004)

Chromosomes 3, 4, 7, and 11:

Different Genes May Cause Autism in Boys and Girls (July 31, 2006)

Chromosome 7:

New Genetic Link to Autism Discovered by Studying Speech (Jan 11, 2008)

New Protein Implicated in Autism (Mar 27, 2007)

Chromosomes 7 and 21:

Study Links Regions of Two Chromosomes to Susceptibility for Type of Autism (June 9, 2005)

Chromosome 11:

Gene That May Lead to Autism Identified (Mar 14, 2007)

Chromosome 13:

Study Points to Chromosome Site of Autism Gene (Dec 3, 1999)

Chromosomes 15 and 22:

Gene Screen to Identify Causes of Autism (Oct 17, 2008)

Chromosome 16:

Novel Chromosome Abnormality Appears to Increase Risk of Autism (Jan 10, 2008)

Recurrent Genetic Deletion Linked to Autism, Study Shows (Jan 10, 2008)

Chromosomal Abnormalities Play Substantial Role in Autism (Jan 22, 2008)

Chromosome 17:

UCLA Scientists Pinpoint Region of Autism Gene on Chromosome 17 (May 4, 2005)

Yes, it can be. A new scanning method that takes approximately 15 minutes has been developed to help diagnose an autistic spectrum disorder accurately. This is a procedure that confirms or clarifies ASD in a very reliable manner. Scientists have managed to identify parts of the brain associated with autism, when comparing with an ordinary functioning brain. This is with 90% accuracy, according to the institute of psychiatry at Kings College, London.

Not currently, no. Asperger's is a psychological diagnosis, based on behavioral traits. Those aren't detectible via an MRI.

At some point a Functional MRI may be able to determine a diagnosis based on reactions in the brain to specific stimuli, but this is not currently possible.

For the most part, the same as any child. Since autism is a mental disability, not a physical one, their physical needs aren't very different.

However, the parts of the brain responsible for processing sensory information and planning out movement can be affected in autism, making the child have poor coordination and react more or less intensely to sensory stimulation. This can result in issues.

For example, some autistic kids can't feel pain, so they aren't careful to avoid injuries and to avoid worsening an existing injury. I heard of one woman with a high functioning form of autism who broke her arm and wandered around for half a day before she noticed that her arm hurt a little bit. She even tried to join in a tennis game!

Clumsiness can result in increased risk of injury, for obvious reasons. Also, it can lead to a kid avoiding movement (especially since clumsy kids are often bullied) which results in problems such as obesity and poor cardiovascular health. It's important to encourage a clumsy kid to keep trying, and make sure not to tolerate other kids laughing at them for failure. Physical therapy can sometimes reduce clumsiness.

Some autistic kids are picky eaters, due to hypersensitivity to taste, smell and tactile sensations in the mouth. While most picky eaters still get a balanced diet, occasionally severe pickiness will result in a child getting malnutrition, or else starving themselves when their preferred food isn't available. It's important not to turn pickiness into a power struggle - the kid isn't choosing to be picky - but instead figure out healthy foods they are willing to eat.

There's also evidence that some autistic people have trouble feeling the physical sensations of hunger and/or thirst. This is mostly a problem in adulthood, for those high-functioning enough to live independently. Building a routine whereby the child always eats and drinks at certain times, even if they're not hungry, can be a big help.

There is some suggestion that a subset of autistic kids may be prone to asthma/allergies, digestive problems and autoimmune problems. There is not much evidence for this yet, but if a child has any of those problems, the treatment is the same regardless of autism.

No, Jedward do not have autism.

No it a diagnosis dumb dude

Asperger's Syndrome is named after Hans Asperger, one of the first persons to research conditions later known as autism and Asperger's Syndrome. For more information about him, see the link in the Related Questions section.

48% of people in north America know about autism