Studies have shown that autism affects male children four times more then the female children. Autistic children indicate certain specific features like behavior problem in social interaction, communication and speech skills. This autism starts in infancy and develops by the time the child is three years old. The abnormal behavioral traits indicate autism in children right from when they are young.
Every four out of 10,000 children today are autistic and this is persistent throughout adulthood. There are two types of autism – mild and severe. Children affected with mild autism when trained can live independently whereas children with severity need support and regular medications.
Viral Infection causes autism. Rubella virus during the first trimester may result in autism in children. The other reasons for autism in children are mainly genetic, infections and other distressing factors during gestation. There was a belief in the past that parents generated autism bit it has been proved to be incorrect.
Autism occurs in two stages of infancy. Its signs show up within a few months of birth whereas some children appear to be normal till two years of age then the indications crop up all of a sudden. Autistic children show both communicative and non communicative skill with peculiar faces and difficulty in talking. Autism children communicate in a dull and boring fashion and the language looks very artificial. Different children exhibit different traits and no two children have common behavior problem.
Autistic children have very less impulse in the outdoor surroundings. Some children are not in a position to identify their parents in their initial stages. The small child cannot smile or emote which a normal baby does in the first few months. Toilet training is very difficult in autistic children. They show some sort of behavioral problem or the other such as strange poses, rocking, and sudden outbursts and many others which are abnormal.
Autistic children never get along in a group and mostly stay detached. They have a repetitive behavior which is difficult to modify as they do not accept change. They maintain their own behavioral practice and set up an atmosphere for themselves.