What Is Autism?
Autism is a developmental disorder that affects information processing in multiple ways. People with autism have difficulties with social and communication skills. They have restricted interests and engage in repetitive behaviors. They also tend to experience sensitivity or discomfort from sensory stimulation such as certain sights or sounds.

Because autism’s symptoms vary greatly, the condition is said to exist on a spectrum, referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder. Asperger’s syndrome is a condition that is considered to be “high functioning” autism.

Autism usually manifests by age two. The condition is diagnosed four times more frequently in males than in females, according to the DSM-5, although women are often overlooked and misdiagnosed. The frequency of diagnosis has surged over the past 20 years; it is not clear whether the incidence is truly increasing, whether experts are more alert to it, or whether the diagnosis has shifted to include lesser degrees of impairment.

There is no proof that vaccines cause autism, although there is some evidence that environmental toxins play a role. There is no cure for autism,  nor is one universally sought:  Many people argue that autism should not be framed as a medical condition in need of amelioration. For those on the lower-functioning end of the autism spectrum, targeted practices and therapies can help alleviate symptoms. Symptoms may also ease over the years.

What Are the Characteristics of Autism?
The condition manifests before age three and can be particularly baffling and frustrating because some affected children appear to develop normally until the onset of the disorder. While the severity of symptoms varies greatly, there are invariably impairments to social and communication skills. (Some children with autism do not talk at all and remain mute throughout life), Children with autism also show restricted interests and repetitive behaviors.

Parents may notice that their infant avoids eye contact or doesn’t respond, and it may be difficult for them to form emotional bonds and parental attachment. Children with autism have unusual responses to sensory experiences and may be highly sensitive to certain sounds, textures, tastes, or smells. They may have deficits in motor coordination and poor muscle tone.

Autistic children exhibit many kinds of repetitive behaviors early in life, such as hand flapping, body rocking, and making sounds. They may arrange or stack objects over and over again. Some children inflict injury to themselves by repeated actions such as hand biting and headbanging. They show an early preference for unvarying routines of everyday life.

Difference between Asperger and Autism (DSM-IV)
What distinguishes Asperger’s Disorder from classic autism are its less severe symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger’s Disorder may be only mildly affected, and they frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger’s Disorder may just seem like a neurotypical child behaving differently.

Children with autism are frequently viewed as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger’s Disorder. Individuals with Asperger’s Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others, but often they don’t know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understand conventional social rules or show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, seem unengaged in a conversation and not understand the use of gestures or sarcasm.

Their interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with Asperger’s Disorder often like to collect categories of things, such as rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowledge categories of information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. They may have good rote memory skills but struggle with abstract concepts.

One of the major differences between Asperger’s Disorder and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger’s. In fact, children with Asperger’s Disorder frequently have good language skills; they simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection or have a rhythmic nature, or may be formal, but too loud or high-pitched. Children with Asperger’s Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or they may not understand the give-and-take nature of a conversation.

Another distinction between Asperger’s Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism have intellectual disabilities, by definition, a person with Asperger’s Disorder cannot have a “clinically significant” cognitive delay, and most possess average to above-average intelligence. While motor difficulties are not a specific criterion for Asperger’s, children with Asperger’s Disorder frequently have motor skill delays and may appear clumsy or awkward.

Causes
No one fully understands what causes autism. The number of children diagnosed with the disorder has increased significantly since the turn of the millennium, but experts are not sure whether that reflects an improvement in diagnostic awareness or a true increase in prevalence.

Research shows that genetics is a factor, because people who have a sibling with autism are more likely to have autism themselves. Autism is also more likely in individuals who have an older parent. Very low birth weight is also a risk factor, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and ASD occurs more frequently in people with some genetic conditions, such as Fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis.

Advice for parents and teachers
Accept your child as they are. Stop expecting ‘normal’ from them. Put aside your fears, and others’ judgements. Accept their autism. Put yourself in their shoes. Observe them, and do your best to understand how they view and react to the world, and why. If you accept their differences, embrace them even, it will reward you.

Resist the quacks and the ignorant. Beware of anyone telling you that you must do this or that, or your child is doomed, or that you’re a bad parent, or that if you do such-and-such, your child will be magically ‘cured’. Approach your child as an individual, not a statistic. If there is a specific problem – meltdowns, communication difficulties, toilet training – work on that, not attempting to eliminate the autism. Go for the ‘maximisation’ approach, not the ‘normalisation’ one.

Find other autistic children for your child to socialize with. Many will tell you this is a bad idea, because your child will copy the other autistic kids, and start “looking more autistic”. This is based in the ‘autism-negative’ approach2, which thinks being openly autistic is a bad thing. But every one needs their peers – and other autistics are ours. It will pay off in increased self-esteem and self-understanding for your child. They will see that’s it okay to be autistic, okay to be themselves.

Find your own peers. Find other parents who take a positive and accepting approach to autism, at the same time steering clear of the ‘I’m-going-to-make-my-kid-normal-whatever-the-cost’ types. They will understand your problems, and offer support without demanding you change your child wholesale.

Above all, help and support him, every day. Be patient, be clear, be an example, don’t put too much pressure on him, be real, set targets, make a time planning and be consistent!