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 behaviour. Individuals with autism have to painstakingly learn normal patterns of speech and communication, and appropriate ways to relate to people, objects and events.

2. What are the characteristics of autism? 　 The degree of severity of characteristics differs from person to person, but usually includes the following: 　 　 　 Impairments in social interaction 　 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. 　 　 　 Impairments in communication 　 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. 　 　 　 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. 　 　 　 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 memorisation 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.

3. What causes autism? 　 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".

4. How common is autism? 　 Autism occurs in approximately 2 to 6 out of every 1,000 births.

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 behaviour? 　 In addition to severe language and socialisation problems, people with autism often experience extreme hyperactivity or unusual passivity in relating to parents, family members, and other people.

8. How severe are behaviour problems in people with autism? 　 In autism, behaviour problems range from very severe to mild.  Severe behaviour problems take the form of highly unusual, aggressive, and in some cases, even self-injurious behaviour.  These behaviours may persist and be difficult to change.

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.

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