What is Autism

Autism is a spectrum disorder, meaning the symptoms and characteristics can present in a wide variety of combinations. When a person has Autism, it means that something in their brain is different from other peoples' brains. This causes them to act differently .

Children with Autism might play in a different way than other kids. They may like to stare at something for a long time or maybe twirl a piece of string or spin a toy car around and around. Alot of times they may play by themselves instead of with other kids because they don't know how to interact properly.

Some kids with Autism might be happy, but suddenly they will become sad or angry and might even have a tantrum. Since one of the biggest areas of impairment is verbal language, it may because they can't tell people what they want. At the other end of the spectrum is Aspergers Syndrome. People with Aspergers may share many of the same impairments with people with Autism but are generally considered to be higher functioning. People with Aspergers can communicate verbally but still may have impairment in understanding social situations or complex verbal directions.

		Click on the links below for further information
Areas Affected by Autism		Camp Victory Autism Society of America General Autism Information		What Autism Is Not
Communication				Autism is NOT a mental illness
Sensory Input				Children with Autism are NOT kids who choose to misbehave
Motor Control				Autism is NOT caused by bad parenting
Social Interaction				NO known psychological factors in the development of the child have been know to cause Autism
Play				Autistic people ARE NOT mentally retarded
Behaviors				Not all Autistic people have savant abilities
Perseverations
Fears and Anxieties

The puzzle pattern of this ribbon reflects the mystery and complexity of autism. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with this disorder. The brightness of the ribbon signals hope - hope through research and in the increasing awareness of people like you.
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Page last modified: June 2004

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