Autism Information

1. What is autism?
Autism is a life-long developmental disability that prevents individuals from properly understanding what they see, hear, and otherwise sense. This results in severe problems of social relationships, communication, and behavior. Individuals with autism have to painstakingly learn normal patterns of speech and communication, and appropriate ways to relate to people, objects, and events, in a similar manner to those who have had a stroke.

2. What are the characteristics of autism?
The degree of severity of characteristics differs from person to person, but usually includes the following:
Severe delays in language development. Language is slow to develop, if it develops at all. If it does develop, it usually includes peculiar speech patterns or the use of words without attachment to their normal meaning. Those who are able to use language effectively may still use unusual metaphors or speak in a formal and monotone voice. Severe delays in understanding social relationships. The autistic child often avoids eye contact, resists being picked up, and seems to "tune out" the world around him. This results in a lack of cooperative play with peers, an impaired ability to develop friendships, and an inability to understand other people's feelings.
Inconsistent Patterns of sensory responses.The child who has autism at times may appear to be deaf and fail to respond to words or other sounds. At other times, the same child may be extremely distressed by an everyday noise such as a vacuum cleaner or a dog's barking. The child also may show an apparent insensitivity to pain and a lack of responsiveness to cold or heat, or may over-react to any of these.
Uneven patterns of intellectual functioning.The individual may have peak skills - scattered things done quite well in relation to overall functioning - such as drawing, music, computations in math, or memorization of facts with no regard to importance or lack of it. On the other hand, the majority of autistic persons have varying degrees of mental retardation, with only 20 percent having average or above-average intelligence. This combination of intellectual variations makes autism especially perplexing.
Marked restriction of activity and interests.A person who has autism may perform repetitive body movements, such as hand flicking, twisting, spinning, or rocking. This individual may also display repetition by following the same route, the same order of dressing, or the same schedule everyday, etc. If changes occur in these routines, the preoccupied child or adult usually becomes very distressed.

3. What causes autism?
Autism is a brain disorder, present from birth, which affects the way the brain uses information. The cause of autism is still unknown. Some research suggests a physical problem affecting those parts of the brain that process language and information coming in from the senses. There may be some imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain. Genetic factors may sometimes be involved. Autism may indeed result from a combination of several "causes".
No factors in the psychological environment of the child cause autism.

4. How common is autism?
Autism is one of the four major developmental disabilities. It occurs in one to two of every 1000 births. There are approximately 10,000 people with autism in North Carolina.

5. Who is affected with autism?
Autism is distributed throughout the world among all races, nationalities, and social classes. Four of every five people with autism are male.

6. What is the most common problem in autism?
Individuals with autism have extreme difficulty in learning language and social skills and in relating to people.

7. How does autism affect behavior?
In addition to severe language and socialization problems, people with autism often experience extreme hyperactivity or unusual passivity in relating to parents, family members, and other people.

8. How severe are behavior problems in people with autism?
In autism, behavior problems range from very severe to mild. Severe behavior problems take the form of highly unusual, aggressive, and in some cases, even self-injurious behavior. These behaviors may persist and be difficult to change.
In its milder form., autism resembles a learning disability. Usually, however, even people who are only mildly affected are substantially handicapped due to deficits in the areas of communication and socialization.

9. Does autism occur in conjunction with other disabilities?
Autism can occur by itself or in association with other developmental disorders such as mental retardation, learning disabilities, epilepsy, etc.
Autism is best considered as a disability on a continuum from mild to severe. The number of handicaps and degree of mental retardation will determine the location on that continuum.

10. What is the difference between Autism and Mental Retardation?
Most people with mental retardation show relatively even skill development, while individuals with autism typically show uneven skill development with deficits in certain areas - most frequently in their ability to communicate and relate to others - and distinct skills in other areas.
It is important to distinguish autism from mental retardation or other disorders since diagnostic confusion may result in referral to inappropriate and ineffective treatment techniques.

11. Can people with autism be helped?
Yes, autism is treatable. Studies show that all people who have autism can improve significantly with proper instruction. Many individuals with autism eventually become more responsive to others as they learn to understand the world around them.

12. How can persons with autism learn best?
Through specially trained teachers, using specially structured programs that emphasize individual instruction, persons with autism can learn to function at home and in the community. Some can lead nearly normal lives.

13. What kinds of jobs can individuals with autism do?
In general, individuals with autism perform best at jobs which are structured and involve a degree of repetition.
Some people who have autism are working as artists, piano tuners, painters, farm workers, office workers, computer operators, dishwashers, assembly line workers, or competent employees of sheltered workshops or other sheltered work settings.

14. What leisure activities do persons with autism enjoy?
Individuals who have autism often enjoy the same recreational activities as their non- handicapped peers. They usually like music, swimming, hiking, camping, working puzzles, playing table games, etc.

15. What services are available for people with autism in North Carolina?
There are public school classrooms, a summer residential camp, group homes, social skills training, job training, and life planning services for persons with autism in North Carolina for persons with autism in North Carolina.

16. What additional services are needed for children with autism in North Carolina?
Children with autism need:- respite care- before and after-school care- summer programs- recreational programs- group homes- other residential living options- prevocational training- summer school programs

17. What do people with autism need when they become adults?
Adults with autism need:- vocational training- job opportunities- group homes- supervised apartments- other residential living options- recreational opportunities

18. How can people who have autism learn meaningful job skills?
With the help of specially trained job coaches, people with autism can learn skills that will enable them to successfully work in competitive employment, supported employment, or in sheltered workshop programs.

19. In what ways can persons with autism have relative independence in living?
They can learn skills to live as independently as possible through specifically designed programs in group homes and supervised apartments.