Autism is a disability that occurs when there has been a disorder to the central nervous system of the body. Often, persons may confuse autism with a mental disorder, which is incorrect. Autism impacts the ability of the individual to communicate and interact with other people, but is not a sign of mental deficiency.When it comes to what actually causes autism, there are many different opinions. Some favor genetic origins of autism, what others believe autism is more rooted in environmental factors. There is one school of thought that believes autism may be triggered by combinations of antibiotics and vaccines. The fact is there is not currently any agreement of what factors can lead to autism, and which autism causes are more common than others. Please click here for more information on Autism causes.

There are number of symptoms or behavior patterns that indicate the presence of autism. As an example, a child with autism may not respond when his or her name is called. A person with autism will be unable to articulate that he or she wants a glass of water. Words come slowly to the person with autism. Autism may be present if the individual finds it hard to work or play with others. A person with autism may fear being touched by another human being. A person with autism may be slavish in following a certain way to do things, such as always putting on a shirt before putting on pants. Please click here for more information on autism symptoms.

When it comes to treatment of autism, the types of therapies used to deal with autism will vary, often depending on the symptoms that are displayed. There is no miracle drug that reverses the effects of autism, nor is there one single form of ongoing therapy that would be considered a core therapy that would be modified in order to meet the demands of different cases of autism. Even so, there are many of the therapies employed to help a person with autism that depend a great deal on repetition and positive reinforcement as ways to reach beyond the autism. Please click here for more information on autism treatments.

The trend seems to indicate that Autism is on the rise, but in reality, the diagnosis for autism spectrum disorders is really quite recent.

For example, it isn't as if no one 100 years ago had "Asperger's Syndrome." This condition wasn't even identified and until about 1944; it wasn't widely known and labeled/named until 1981; and wasn't added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) and the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic reference book until 1994. So, technically, no one would have shown up in a statistic for Asperger's Syndrome prior to 1994.

In times past, people with autism spectrum disorders were often diagnosed with other conditions or not diagnosed at all, and just labeled as idiots or eccentric.

While it is possible that environmental conditions can cause widespread health issues, and autism disorders generally have been linked with abnormalities in the way brains develop in the fetus or in children, I tend not to think that the recent higher statistics are a result of more kids actually having "mental disorders". I believe the statistics are more the product of a society that is eager to define behavioral problems as medical conditions and then try to medicate children and adults.

After hearing a report on public radio and reading up on it, I am pretty sure that I and several members of my family (including great-uncles, etc.) who we previously just thought to be a little eccentric or had strong personalities or quirks, probably had/have mild forms of Asperger's. I don't think it is anything new, and I don't think there are that many more incidents of it now than in times past (as a percentage of the whole population). I'm not sure about the other autism spectrum disorders, but I have heard and read that Asperger's at least is genetic. Mainly, I just think doctors are discovering and re-defining conditions, applying new labels, and these things are becoming vastly more public.

I would also suggest that all of the advertisements and public awareness campaigns actually tend to influence people who are susceptible, and actually promote symptoms in people who are prone to suggestion but otherwise might not exhibit symptoms of some of these conditions.