question: What is Autism, exactly? Do we even know? Or do we just have an approximated working psychiatric category, to treat people? What do we know of the causes, of it, and causes of the effects? Do we really even understand it at all?
comment: Autism is a difference in brain structure that causes the person to experience the world around them differently to the majority of the population. It's not a disease, you can't catch it from somewhere and it's not caused by vaccines or anything like that. Actually it's not clear what *does* cause it but it seems to run in families. Autism is described as a spectrum which is often confusing for people new to the term. Often people hear "spectrum" and think of colours, that straight line from red to blue but it actually means "a range". It's better to think of autistic traits as a cloud, each droplet floating around freely, sometimes getting close to other droplet A, sometimes droplet B, sometimes both and sometimes neither. There are as dozens of different traits that are often contradictory. There are as many ways to be autistic as there are autistic people. ex;- I'm autistic. I don't like main room lights, they actually hurt my eyes unless they're specifically low wattage. I have my curtains drawn all day and have string lights and other ways to diffuse lights in my apartment. I also leave my bedroom window open all year round because I can't stand being hot, it gets so uncomfortable I can't think and I start to shut down. Summers are really difficult for me. But I also know autistics that can stare at the sun and wrap themselves in multiple thick layers even in July. They're just as autistic and valid as any other autistic, just they express different traits. Autism is not a learning disability or difficulty, nor is it a intellectual impairment, but we do *think differently* which often makes it difficult for us to engage with lessons they way they are taught to non-autistic kids. That's why we have a hard time in school - we get frustrated and overwhelmed and children don't always have constructive ways to express that. Even as adults (yes, autistic kids turn into autistic adults, we don't just grow out of it. We learn to hide it better.) we get overwhelmed. This ability to come at an idea from a difference direction is one of our greatest strengths. A lot of famous creative thinkers in history are thought to be autistic including Mozart and (my favourite) Tesla. I hope this wall of text helps and feel free to hit me up if you have any more questions :)
passages: BULLET::::- Spindle neuron – also called von Economo neurons (VENs), are a specific class of neurons that are characterized by a large spindle-shaped soma, gradually tapering into a single apical axon in one direction, with only a single dendrite facing opposite.
  
  BULLET::::- Weak central coherence theory (WCC) – also called the central coherence theory (CC), suggests that a specific perceptual-cognitive style, loosely described as a limited ability to understand context or to "see the big picture", underlies the central disturbance in autism and related autism spectrum disorders.
  
  Section::::Controversies.
  
  Controversies in autism
   BULLET::::- Etiology includes genetic and environmental factors that may cause autism. This research includes searches for autism susceptibility genes, animal models for autism, environmental toxins, and maternal viral infections.
  
  BULLET::::- Biology studies cells, the brain, and the body. This focuses on brain development and includes the Autism Tissue Program discussed further below.
  
  BULLET::::- Diagnosis includes epidemiology, early diagnosis, and biomarkers.
   Section::::Diagnosis.:Classification.
  
  Autism is one of the five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), which are characterized by widespread abnormalities of social interactions and communication, and severely restricted interests and highly repetitive behavior. These symptoms do not imply sickness, fragility, or emotional disturbance.
   Section::::Educational interventions.:Applied behavior analysis.
  
  Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the applied research field of the science of behavior analysis, and it underpins a wide range of techniques used to treat autism and many other behaviors and diagnoses, including those who are patients in rehab or in whom a behavior change is desired
   Section::::Fiction.
  
  Since the 1970s, characters have appeared in film, television, and print that could be qualified as "on the [autism] spectrum." Characters have been presented as being described as openly autistic in canon, or have been designed with one of many ASCs in mind.
  
  Section::::Non-fiction.
  
  BULLET::::- "Children of the Stars" (2007) is an award-winning documentary about children with autism in China. The film examines hardships experienced by parents of children with autism and the lack of international resources for these families.
   BULLET::::- "Chicos de otro planeta" (2013) is a documentary about young adults with Aspergers in Chile. The film is narrated by Chilean actor Grex.
  
  BULLET::::- "The Autistic Gardener" (2015) is a Channel 4 series.
  
  BULLET::::- "Girls with Autism" is a documentary following three girls at Limpsfield Grange, a specialized school in the UK.
  
  BULLET::::- "The Autistic Buddha" (2017) is a non-fiction novel about an autistic individual's journey to Germany and China and, also about what he learned from the experience.
   Diagnosis is based on behavior, not cause or mechanism. Under the DSM-5, autism is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. These deficits are present in early childhood, typically before age three, and lead to clinically significant functional impairment. Sample symptoms include lack of social or emotional reciprocity, stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language, and persistent preoccupation with unusual objects. The disturbance must not be better accounted for by Rett syndrome, intellectual disability or global developmental delay. ICD-10 uses essentially the same definition.
   Section::::Characteristics.:Social development.
  
  Social deficits distinguish autism and the related autism spectrum disorders (ASD; see Classification) from other developmental disorders. People with autism have social impairments and often lack the intuition about others that many people take for granted. Noted autistic Temple Grandin described her inability to understand the social communication of neurotypicals, or people with normal neural development, as leaving her feeling "like an anthropologist on Mars".
   BULLET::::- Global perceptions of autism − an overview of the diagnosis, treatment, and experience of autism in developing nations.
  
  BULLET::::- Neurodiversity – the standpoint that atypical neurological development is a normal human difference.
  
  BULLET::::- Neurotypical – (or NT) is a term that was coined in the autistic community as a label for people who are not on the autism spectrum: specifically, neurotypical people have neurological development and states that are consistent with what most people would perceive as normal, particularly with respect to their ability to process linguistic information and social cues.
   A pediatrician commonly performs a preliminary investigation by taking developmental history and physically examining the child. If warranted, diagnosis and evaluations are conducted with help from ASD specialists, observing and assessing cognitive, communication, family, and other factors using standardized tools, and taking into account any associated medical conditions. A pediatric neuropsychologist is often asked to assess behavior and cognitive skills, both to aid diagnosis and to help recommend educational interventions. A differential diagnosis for ASD at this stage might also consider intellectual disability, hearing impairment, and a specific language impairment such as Landau–Kleffner syndrome. The presence of autism can make it harder to diagnose coexisting psychiatric disorders such as depression.
   Section::::Diagnosis.
  
  The most current criteria used for the diagnosis of autism are contained in the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association, and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) coding system published by the World Health Organization.
   Herbert began seeing patients in a psychiatry clinic in 1996; these patients suffered from a variety of psychological disabilities, including headaches, seizures, behavioral-control problems, obsessions, and tics. However, as time went on she began seeing a higher proportion of autistic children. Around the same time, she was conducting a number of neuroimaging studies on differences in the brains of autistic children, and as a result of this research, she concluded that autism is a disorder that affects the entire body, not just the brain.
  
  Section::::Autism research.
   BULLET::::- "" (2007) is a documentary about the lives of autistic children and their families, while the children write and rehearse a stage production. The film won several awards, including two Emmy Awards. The film centers around The Miracle Project, a nonprofit organization focusing on providing a creative outlet for autistic children.
  
  BULLET::::- "The Horse Boy" (2009) is a book and documentary (both released the same year), which follows the Isaacson family on their journey to Mongolia to help their autistic son.
  
  BULLET::::- "Temple Grandin" (2010) is a biographical dramatization of the well known autism advocate Temple Grandin.
   Autism
  
  Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. Parents usually notice signs during the first three years of their child's life. These signs often develop gradually, though some children with autism reach their developmental milestones at a normal pace before worsening.
   Some works from the 1970s have autistic characters, who are rarely labeled. In contrast, in the BBC2 television miniseries "The Politician's Husband" (2013), the impact of Noah Hoynes' Aspergers on the boy's behavior and on his family, and steps Noah's loved ones take to accommodate and address it, are prominent plot points in all three episodes.
  
  Popular media have depicted special talents of some children with autism, including exceptional abilities as seen in the movie "Rain Man" (1988).
   Autism rights or neurodiversity advocates believe that the autism spectrum is genetic and should be accepted as a natural expression of the human genome. This perspective is distinct from two other likewise distinct views: the medical perspective, that autism is caused by a genetic defect and should be addressed by targeting the autism gene(s), and the fringe theory that autism is caused by environmental factors like vaccines and pollution and could be cured by addressing environmental causes.
   Section::::Formation.
   Section::::Management.:Alternative medicine.
   BULLET::::- "The Autistic Brothers" (2018) is a non-fiction novel written by a high-functioning autistic individual, which is about his relationship with his low-functioning autistic brother. This book challenges several myths about autism.
  
  Section::::MMR vaccine theory.
  
  The MMR vaccine was the subject of controversy resulting from publication of a (now retracted) 1998 paper by Andrew Wakefield "et al." In 2010, Wakefield's research was found by the General Medical Council to have been "dishonest"; the research was declared fraudulent in 2011 by the "BMJ".
   The New Latin word "autismus" (English translation "autism") was coined by the Swiss psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler in 1910 as he was defining symptoms of schizophrenia. He derived it from the Greek word "autós" (αὐτός, meaning "self"), and used it to mean morbid self-admiration, referring to "autistic withdrawal of the patient to his fantasies, against which any influence from outside becomes an intolerable disturbance". A Soviet child psychiatrist, Grunya Sukhareva, described a similar syndrome that was published in Russian in 1925, and in German in 1926.
  
  Section::::History.:Clinical development and diagnoses.
   Section::::Western countries.:Treatment.
  
  Behavioral intervention and medications are frequently used to manage the symptoms of autism. Early intervention programs can improve cognitive and language skills in children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Behavioral interventions include Applied Behavioral Analysis, Developmental, Individual Difference, Relationship-based (DIR)/Floortime Model, and Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH).
   Autism is a variation of neural development diagnosed as impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. It affects an estimated 1 in 100 people. Autism is one of three recognized variations in the autism spectrum (ASDs), the other two being Asperger syndrome, which lacks delays in cognitive development and language, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), which is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for autism or Asperger syndrome are not met. In this article, the word "autism" is used for referring to the whole range of variations on the autism spectrum, which is not uncommon.
   Section::::Postnatal environment.:Social construct.
  
  The social construct theory says that the boundary between normal and abnormal is subjective and arbitrary, so autism does not exist as an objective entity, but only as a social construct. It further argues that autistic individuals themselves have a way of being that is partly socially constructed.
   BULLET::::- "Allistic" – a person who is not autistic but may or may not be neurodiverse in other ways, for example, a dyslexic person, or someone with ADHD. Originally and commonly, however, it is used satirically to describe those without autism.
  
  Autism spectrum disorders; DSM-V; Diagnostic criteria-Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is the 2013 update to the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) classification and diagnostic tool. In the United States, the DSM serves as a universal authority for psychiatric diagnosis.
  
  Section::::Overview.
  
  Section::::Overview.:Autistic adults.
   Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a large focus of the Institute's research and clinical programs. Autism is typically diagnosed by age three, however the Institute's research is focused on detecting signs of the disorder even earlier. One of the pioneers of autism research today is Dr. Rebecca Landa, Director of the Center for Autism & Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger. Landa has discovered that some babies begin to show risk factors for autism as early as 14 months of age. Her work also focuses on developing early intervention models for toddlers with autism that help to improve a child's social, language, and cognitive skills.
  