Autism is a developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life, as a result of a neurological disorder that affects functioning of the brain.  Autism and its associated behaviors occur in approximately 1 in 150 individuals.

Autism knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries.  Family income, lifestyle, or education levels do not affect the chance of occurrence.

Autism interferes with the normal development of the brain in areas which control verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and sensory development.  Children or adults with autism may exhibit repeated body movements, such as hand flapping and rocking, show unusual responses to people or attachments to objects, and resist changes in routine.  In some cases, aggressive and/or self-injurious behavior may be present.

Autism (classified under 299.0 of the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV) is often referred to as a spectrum disorder, meaning the symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to sever.  Although autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors, children and adults can exhibit any combination of the behaviors in any degree of severity.  Two children, both with diagnosis of autism, can act very differently from one another.

Several old theories about the cause of autism have been proven false.  Autism is not a mental illness.  Children with autism are not unruly kids with a behavior problem; autism is not caused by bad parents who gave their child too little attention.  Most importantly, no known factors in the psychological environment of a child have been shown to cause autism.

It is conservatively estimated that 1,000,000 people in the U.S. today have some form of autism.  Its prevalence rate now places it as the third most common developmental disability-more common than Down syndrome.

However, the majority of the public, including may professionals in the medical, educational, and vocational fields are still unaware of how autism affects people and how to effectively work with individuals with this disability.