Autism is a syndrome that comes from exhibiting certain combinations or patterns of behavior. Low functioning autism is the term used to describe autistic individuals that are not able to function or deal with every day life. Normal to high functioning autism is used to describe people that exhibit autistic behaviors that are in fact able to deal with real world activities and normal day to day life. Many people diagnosed with autism end up living in less then ideal conditions. Autism is a developmental disorder, that affects many areas of human function such as language, and the ability to communicate. It affects self-help skills, coordination, and the ability of an individual to learn. Autism is not a specific developmental disorder such as dyslexia.

Affected Areas

There are several common traits that will aid in the diagnosis of autism. These traits include, the tendency to stay in isolation or be away from others. Autistic individuals will have a hard time making friends and will seem very awkward in social situations. An autistic person will very rarely look some else in the eye. They will be very naive and easily swayed or manipulated. They are often quite gullible. When an autistic person speaks they will often so so using very formal language. They may speak in a monotone and their use of body language may be very poor. (such as nodding "no" while saying "yes". Autistic people will generally prefer common routines, they may be very literal in their use of language and may remember and recite a lot of detail without having a lot of understanding. They may also be hypersensitive or hyposensitive, and have odd tastes in food and clothing. In some cases, the symptoms are immediately noticeable while in others, the symptoms may be very well hidden and not be easily identified even after several meetings. Many that are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder lead very normal and active lives. Quite often they lead such normal lives that they are often not initially diagnosed as children but are diagnosed as young adults.

Autism is not Disabled

One common misconception is that persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are in fact disabled. This is definitely not the case as their thought process are a little different from everyone else not missing entirely. Individuals with an autism spectrum disorder may not interact well with others and may not learn as easily as other children do. The more severe the disorder is the more difficulty the child will have in dealing with others.

Learning Is Key

Learning about autism spectrum disorders and how they affect people lives will go a long way to helping teachers, siblings, parents, and friends to cope with the disorder. In some cases it has been demonstrated that with intense therapy and practice a person diagnosed with this disorder can learn to 'fit in' and function normally with the outside world. The key is to learn as much as we can in order to help those who have it to live a normal and productive life.