Community Resources - About Autism

Autism is a severely incapacitating disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain. Children with autism typically have uneven development, significant deficits in communication and marked impairments in their ability to interact with others, all of which pose serious obstacles to learning.

• More than 400,000 people in the U.S. today are diagnosed with autism.
• Autism is ranked as the third most common developmental disability.
• Recent studies suggest that 1 in 150 babies born in the U.S. have autism or some form of pervasive developmental disability.
• There is no "cure" for autism, at this time.
• Medical science does not yet understand what causes a child to develop autism.

What is known, however, is that children with autism do have the ability to learn, and that the earlier the intervention, the better the prospect for that child. Children with autism need an intensive instructional environment where they can learn to focus, follow directions and imitate all cornerstones of the learning process.