What is Autism

Autism is a short way of saying "autism spectrum disorder." Its symptoms include differences and disabilities in many areas including social communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, and sometimes intellectual skills as well as unusual responses to sensory input (unusual sensitivity to light, sound, etc., and/or sensory cravings).Autism is also a spectrum disorder. In basic terms, this means you can be a little autistic or very autistic. Until May, 2013, there were five different autism spectrum diagnoses. At one end of the spectrum was Asperger Syndrome, sometimes called The Little Professor syndrome. At at the other end of the spectrum was autistic disorder, known for profound developmental delays and challenges. In between were a variety of pervasive developmental disorders including Rett syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)