Autism is a disorder that affects thought, perception and attention. Autism has a broad spectrum of disorders that range from mild to severe. Autism belongs to a family of brain conditions that affect behavior early in life. Physicians refer to autism and these other conditions as pervasive developmental disorders.
             Autism is usually present by the age of three. It can result from certain events before or shortly after birth. These events include infection of the brain with the herpes virus and infection of the mother with the rubella virus.
             Large scale problems with brain structure are also associated with autism. These problems include hydrocephalus or water on the brain. Sometimes a tumor may be present, but this is rare. "In 1998 a study was held to see if the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella increase the risk of having autism. After being reviewed by both the Medical Research Council of Great Britian and the Center for Disease Control they ruled out the possibility of these vaccines causing autism." (WebMD)
             Researchers have found several abnormalties in the brain. They are dysfunction in the neural structure and abnormal biochemistry. Two doctors named Bauman and Kemper examined post-mortem brains of several autistic people. The found two underdeveloped area's in the limbic system, the amygdala and the hippocampus. These handle emotions, aggression, sensory input and learning. They also found a deficency of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. Many autistic people have high levels of serotonin in their blood and spinal fluid.
             Autism doesn't have just one defined set of symptoms. "In the diagnostic manual used to clarify disabilities, the DSM-IV(American Psychiatric Association,1994) autistic disorder is listed as a category under pervasive developmental disorders."(McKeon) A diagnosis of autistic disorder is made when a pesonshows signs of six or more out of twelve symptoms. These symptoms span three area's. T...