health answers:

First of all, the condition of Autism is on a spectrum. This means that there are varying degrees of severity. For instance, a low-functioning autistic child might not be verbal, or potty-trained. Then, on the higher end of the spectrum, there is high-functioning autism.

A child who is high functioning, after therapy, can be quite social, make good eye contact. Still he may have some behavioral issues and be a little obsessive compulsive about somethings.

I think the new number is 1 out of 150 have autism.

health answers:

There is nothing, but theory about the etiology of this disease and even the definition is a little general. As for right now, autism is classified as a mental disorder and defined by a constellation of symptoms. If you want to know what these are, check out the DSM IV under “Autism.”

http://ani.autistics.org/dsm4-autism.html

The only facts about it are statistical. If anyone says he knows what causes it, he is being ridiculous.

As for the statistics, here is a list of things correlated with autism:

Premature birth
Caesarean birth
Being born a twin
Precociousness at birth
Difficult birth
Physical or psychological trauma shortly after birth
Physical or psychological trauma at age two
Severe illness or surgery withing two weeks of birth
Severe neglect at birth
Infantile blindness

You can see how general that is…

health answers:

Check out some of the song/computer game/visual strategy programs to memorize multiplication facts. One program (used it for addition) is called Math the Fun Way. Check it out. Might be for you, might not. You may also want to get Schoolhouse Rock: Multiplication Classroom Edition [Interactive DVD] there are many education subjects in that sereis of dvd’s.

health answers:

Check out this article, from New Scientist – http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19726464.100-autism-payout-reignites-vaccine-controversy.html That providessome fuel for the autism/vaccination connection. On the otherhand…

A friend who has worked with cognitively impaired children for the last 3 years, and impaired adults for 5 suggested to me that the reason for the autism “epidemic” is that children who used to be called “slow” or “retarded” or “speech-delayed” are now labeled “autistic,” even if they do not really meet the diagnostic criteria for the disease. There are a few reasons I can think of for this phenomenon for this increase of “diagnostic “labelling” change…

1) Services – school districts fund extra services to children labeled “autistic,” so school psychologists have an incentive to give the diagnosis, and parents have an incentive to demand it.

2) “Sexiness” – Autism, although not new, is in the news more now than it ever has been, and giving the diagnosis makes clinicians feel more cutting edge.

3) Acceptability – “retarded” sounds like an insult rather than a diagnosis, and mental retardation is not particularly treatable. Autism hasn’t yet acquired a negative connotation, so it is more acceptable to parents.

I submit that autism isn’t really more common, it is just that the diagnosis is given inappropriately.

Of course, if you or a loved one has autism – the label doesn’t matter. What does matter it getting the scientific, medical and social support that leads to better lives and hopefully fewer becoming autistic.