Term paper; Everything about Autism, with sources on the last page

Nobody knows the full effects of autism or what causes it. The disorder is so new that there are no drugs and few interventions. The history of Autism is short. Autism had been described as early as 1908 but categorized as a disorder in 1943 by a man named Leo Kanner. Even then, autism is a description of a range of disorders like Asperger's syndrome and Pervasive developmental disorders. Autism is ever changing; everyday scientists rush to figure out the effects of this disorder. Autism is a Developmental disorder characterized by: "Impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication and imagination, unusual, or severely limited, activities and interests."

        Autism varies in severity a great deal; some exhibit only certain symptoms of the disorder and others can be unmanageable with the full range of severe symptoms. Autism's more common characteristic is the inability to socially interact or react, Autistic children sometimes fail to respond to their name or avoid looking at other people and making eye contact. Many children do not respond to others' emotions and have difficulty interpreting tone of voice or facial expression. Autistic children appear to be unaware of others feeling or emotions toward them and are oblivious of the negative impact of their behavior.

Some children resist physical contact and have abnormal responses to sensory stimulation like touch and sound. Many show reduced sensitivity to pain. This may be because of the abnormalities of the brain that have been shown in CAT scans done on people and children with Autism. These tests have show that there is no reaction to the faces of strangers or acquaintances but the tests have also proven that the tested people have a significant reaction to the faces of loved ones. There has been no serious study on the effects of...