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Autism is a developmental disorder sometimes noticeable from a few months of age but not usually diagnosed until a child is 3 or 4 years old. Autism is characterized by communication problems, difficulty in socializing and a lack of imagination. It is not a single disorder, but comes in many forms, which merge into other disorders. There is no biochemical or
genetic test, so diagnosis has to be made by observing behavior.
Autistic children also often have other medical conditions, such as hyperactivity, Tourette's syndrome, anxiety and depression.
Autism itself is divided into three categories:
- autistic disorder,
- Asperger's syndrome which is
sometimes called high-functioning autism, and
- pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), sometimes called mild or atypical autism.
Together these three make up the autistic spectrum disorders.
The difficulty of placing children with developmental problems on this spectrum has led to several major shifts in the way autism is diagnosed in the past 30 years.
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Autism
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