1. Autism is a lifelong condition but a person with autism changes his behaviour with growing up and especially with appropriate education.
2. There are three areas of development that provide diagnostic criteria for autism (see documents with “The triad of Impairments”).
3. A baby with autism may show indifference, lack of interest for the people and the environment and be afraid of objects and persons. He may have feeding and sleeping problems. Either he cries a lot without apparent reason or on the contrary he may never cry.
4.The toddler with autism makes repetitive movements (claps hands, rotates objects, moves the head from side to side). Doesn’t play using social or pretend play.
5. From 2 to 5 years of age the autistic behaviour tends to be more obvious. The child doesn’t speak or speaks using echolalia or reversing pronouns. Those children who use typical speech continue to show problems in social interaction and interests.
6. Adolescents have the features of autism and additional problems of adolescence. They may improve social relationship and behaviour or on the contrary they may return to temper trantums, start to be self-aggressive or aggressive to other people.
7. Adults with autism tend to be more stable if they are more able. On the contrary, the most disabled, low IQ, still show autistic characteristics and can not live independently.
8. Education is fundamental in autism. Adjusting the environment, using visual cues and routines are some of the most well known and adequate strategies.
9. Epilepsy can appear in persons with autism with a high rate. Onset frequently occurring during the preschool age or the adolescence.
10. The majority of individuals with autism (approximately 75%) are intellectually handicapped.
11. Autism is more common in boys than in girls. There is a ratio of 4 boys to 1 girl.
12. There are no ethnic, geographical, social economical differences in autism.
Adapted by APPDA - Lisboa, Associação Portuguesa para as Perturbações do Desenvolvimento e Autismo
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