What is Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurologically-based developmental disabilities. Scientists do not know exactly what causes the problem. ASDs can impact a person's functioning across a wide range, from very mild to severe. Individuals with ASD are not different in appearance, but they may communicate, interact, behave and learn in ways that are different from typical peers.

Is Autism a common disorder?

Recent statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that 1 in 150 people in the United States could be diagnosed with ASD. That means 24,000 children in Illinois have an ASD.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) include:

• Autistic Disorder
• Asperger's Disorder
• Rett's Disorder
• Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder

What are some of the signs of ASDs?

People with ASDs may have problems with social, emotional, and communication skills. They might repeat certain behaviors and might not want change in their daily activities. Many people with ASDs also have different ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to things. ASDs begin during early childhood and last throughout a person's life.

A child or an adult with ASD might:

• Not play "pretend games" (like feeding a doll)
• Not look at objects when another person points at them
• Have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all
• Avoid eye contact and want to be alone
• Have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings
• Prefer not to be held or cuddled or may cuddle only when they want to
• Appear to be unaware when other people talk to them but respond to other sounds
• Be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play or relate to them
• Repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language
• Have trouble expressing their needs using typical word or motions
• Repeat actions over and over again
• Have trouble adapting when a routine changes
• Have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel or sound
• Lose skills they once had (for instance, stop saying words they were once using)

What Are the Earliest Most Reliable Signs of ASD?

Play Skills
At age...	Did your child...
4-12 months	Enjoy toys for their sensory value, mouthing, feeling, and hearing them
12+ months	Use toys as they were intended  feed dolls
16+ months	Give objects identities other than intended (use blocks as cars or food)
30 + months	Imaginative play make believe/role play
Social Interaction
At age...	Did your child...
4 months	Show interest in faces, smile back, initiate smiles
6 months	Relate to parents with joy, smile often when playing
9 months	Orient to name, play give-and-take
12 months	Use gestures to get needs met, repeat actions, show objects
15 months	Check parent's facial expression, draw attention to objects of interest, begin to show empathy
18 months	Pretend play, attract parental attention by looks or gestures
24 months	Enjoy playing next to children, offer toys
36 months	Imagine self as a character, talk for objects, play show and tell, talk about feelings
Joint Attention
At age...	Could your child...
2 months	Exchange smiles
8 months	Follow a caregiver with his eyes
9 months	Follow a point
10 months	Show objects
12 months	Point to obtain an object
14 months	Point to indicate to another an object of interest
14 months	Look to others to gather social information
Investigate Further and Consider Autism if:
At age...	Your child...
9 months	Did not babble
12 months	Did not point or gesture
16 months	Did not use single words
24 months	Did not use 2-word phrases
Any age	Had a loss of language or social skills

What should you do if you think a child or an adult has an ASD?

If you or your doctor think there could be a problem, ask for a referral to see a developmental pediatrician or other specialist, and you can contact your local early intervention agency (for children under 3) or public school (for children 3 and older). Right now, the main research-based treatment for ASDs is intensive structured teaching of skills, often called behavioral intervention. It is very important to begin this intervention as early as possible in order to help your child reach his or her full potential. Acting early can make a real difference!