Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments: Part 2

Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments

Sep 7, 2010
1:33 PM ET
By Amanda Chan, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer

Autism spectrum disorders affect a person's ability to communicate and interact with others and behave appropriately in social situations. Approximately 1 in 110 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of people with autism spectrum disorders are poor social skills, problems with language and strange behavior. However, no two people with autism are alike, and symptoms can vary, according to the Mayo Clinic.

People with autism may not respond to their name or make eye contact, they may have an aversion to cuddling or holding, and they may seem unaware of hurting others' feelings, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Language difficulties include talking later than age 2, loss of ability to say words or sentences, inability to make eye contact when asking for something, robot-like speech, inability to keep a conversation going and repeating words verbatim without understanding how to use them.

Behavioral oddities may include repetitive movement, specific routines and disturbance by changes to the routines, constant movement, sensory processing issues and fascination by parts of an object, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Come back tomorrow and read about the diagnosis and treatment for autism