Autism is a severe developmental disorder that begins at birth or within the first two-and-a-half years of life. Most autistic children look like other kids and are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors which are markedly different from other children. In less severe cases on the spectrum (Pervasive Developmental Disorder or with Asperger’s Syndrome) these children usually typically have normal speech and might even be intellectually gifted, but they have several “autistic” social and behavioral problems.
Too few pediatricians screen for autism. A 2006 study from Johns Hopkins found that only 8% of primary care pediatricians routinely screened for autism. Lack of familiarity with the screening tools was the primary reason. If your pediatrician isn’t seeing what you see, contact your state’s early childhood intervention program (for children under 3) and ask for an evaluation. You can also visit a developmental pediatrician or a clinical psychologist trained in diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
People used to think autism was irreversible. The good news is, there are are now a wide range of treatments that can be helpful. A good starting point for choosing one is to look at the parent ratings of interventions, which presents the responses of more than 25,000 parents, showing the effectiveness.
Age at intervention has a direct impact on outcome — the earlier a child is treated, the better. In recent years the percentage of children who can attend school in a typical classroom and live semi-independently in community settings has been increased. However, the majority of autistic people remain impaired to some degree in their ability to communicate and socialize.