Autism
What is Autism, and how is it related to Cerebral Palsy? It’s not necessarily related to Cerebral Palsy, but the two conditions may appear together.
Autism is a developmental disorder that is usually seen with impaired development in speech, social interaction, and behaviors. Autism is described as a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), which is part of a grouping of developmental disorders affecting young children and adults–the Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The severity of these disorders ranges from severely impaired individuals with Autism to other individuals who have abnormalities of social interaction but otherwise normal intelligence–Asperger’s syndrome. The variations in which Autism is exhibited can differ greatly. Moreover, Autism can be present in association with other conditions such as mental retardation and certain medical conditions. The type of Autism can range from mild to severe. Mildly affected children may appear very close to normal. Severely afflicted children might be extremely retarded or unable to function in virtually any environment.
Historically, Autism has been misdiagnosed as childhood schizophrenia or childhood psychosis. With new information about Autism now being revealed, the scope of the condition has become better defined.
