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Autism Spectrum Disorder and Autism are both terms used to categorize individuals with complex learning disabilities and complex brain development. Children with ASD and Autism may display difficulties in social settings, trouble with verbal or non-verbal communication, and/or repetitive behaviors. ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. 2

There is no singular cause for autism, and the question of what causes autism has only recently been able to be answered by scientists, psychologists, and doctors. Most repetitive reason for Autism are environmental factors and “autism risk genes”. In the presence of a genetic predisposition to autism, a number of nongenetic, or “environmental,” stresses appear to further increase a child’s risk 3

Years Number Of Cases 4

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Social Challenges Communication Difficulties Repetitive Behaviors Associated Medical Conditions Genetic Disorders Seizure Disorders Sleep Disorders Sensory Processing Problems Pica (Eating things that are not food) 6

Autism Is Four to five times more common in boys About 1 out of 54 boys born diagnosed with autism 1 out of 252 girls Affects About 2 million individuals in the United States Tens of millions worldwide 7

Temple Grandin: The Autism Mind 8 Temple Grandin Video from Ted Talks, had to delete video for weebly.

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