Recent studies, which have been a major topic on TV shows such as Good Morning America and the Today Show, that autism is more prevalent than was previously thought. One estimate indicated that approximately 1 in every 150 children have autism to some degree, and the majority of those are undiagnosed.

You need to be aware that autism, also known as Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and the milder form of it, Asperger's Syndrome, is not necessarily limited to children. This can affect people of any age, and many older people who have been diagnosed with autism have had the affliction since they were children, but were simply never diagnosed with it.

People who are afflicted with autism show definite signs and symptoms of the affliction. One of the keys to accurate diagnosis is to note the presence of these symptoms and to note whether the symptom was an isolated incident or whether the symptom shows itself over and over again. For example, one of the signs of autism is that the affected person seems to live within their own world, they have clear problems with social interactions and in fact seem to reject any interaction with another person. Some people may say that that symptom would also apply to almost any computer geek, but in all seriousness, this is just one symptom of many possible ones, and it is not a laughing matter.

While there is not a "cure" for autism in the same sense that taking aspirin will "cure" a headache, early diagnosis of autism is critical to being able to help the afflicted person cope with it and to minimize the effects of autism over the long term of that person's life. Special teaching skills and methods are required to properly teach and train someone affected with autism, so that they can more readily learn how to exist in today's world. If left untreated and undiagnosed, most autistic people cannot live by themselves because they frequently do not have a good sense of what is right versus what is wrong, even concerning everyday mundane things.

Some of the signs and symptoms of autism would include the following:

* Autistic people frequently have poor language skills and therefore frequently have great problems in speaking and interacting verbally.

* Autistic people do not like to be touched or hugged. Even though a hug is usually seen as a sign of affection from someone who cares, people afflicted with autism are very uncomfortable with a hug or being touched by another person.

* Autistic people have difficulty making direct eye contact with another person and will frequently go out of their way to avoid direct eye contact.

* Autistic people frequently do not enjoy being in a group setting with others, but prefer to be alone in their own world.

* Autistic people frequently have high sensitivity to bright light and loud noises, while at the same time exhibit a significantly reduced sensitivity to pain.

* Autistic people can focus for hours at a time on a single object, with concentration so intense that they may not even react to outside stimuli, like someone calling their name.

Autism is a very broad term that covers a lot of ground. To get insights into other areas related to autism, you might also want to become familiar with Aspergers Syndrome which is a milder form of autism. Some of the some symptoms can also be present if a child is diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

One of the biggest problems in detecting autism is that there is not a specific pattern that can be traced or noted. But if you see your child consistently exhibiting one or more of the symptoms listed above, it would be a good idea to schedule a checkout with a trained professional who can perform additional tests to make an accurate diagnosis.