Autism  Commonly known as pervasive developmental disorder  Autistic Spectrum disorder  Asperger’s Syndrome

What is it ?  Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills.

Cause/Disorders  Its exact cause is unknown  It could be diets,digestive tract changes,and mercury poisoning,vaccine sensitivity.

Target population  Autism affects boys more often than girls.  Family income, education, and lifestyle do not seem to affect the risk of autism.

Where and how the disease affects the cns/pns.  Yes,communication  Language  Motor skills  Speech  Success at school  Thinking abilities

Symptoms  Difficulties in pretend play, verbal and nonverbal communication(18 months to 2yrs)  Appear normal before age 1 or 2 then suddenly “regress’’ and lose language or social skills they already learned  Doesn’t imitate the actions of others,prefer’s solitary or ritualistic play  Has a short attention span,show’s aggression to others or self

prognosis  The outlook depends on the severity of the autism and the level off therapy the person receives.  Most people with autism are able to live with their families or in the community.  The outlook today is much better than it was a generation ago.

Notable case  Patient: 1.Michelle Dawson,2.Temple Grandin, 3.Dylan Scott Pierce, 4.Jim Sinclair  Case: 1.autism researcher and autism rights activist who has made ethical challenges to Applied Behavior Analysis  2. a designer of humane food animal handling systems.  3.wildlife illustrator  4. autism rights activist

Organization/medical Facilities  The autism research foundation  National autism Association  Run for autism program

Sources  disclaimer, A. U. (2012, May 16). Autism [powerpoint Slide]. Retrieved July 7, 2012, from Pubmed Health website:  Wright, B. (2011, February). What is Autism? (S. Wright, Ed.) [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from Autism speaks website: