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Table of Contents (click to jump to sections)

What is Autism?
Is there any treatment?
What is the prognosis?
What research is being done?

Organizations
Related NINDS Publications

What is Autism?
Autism is classified as one of the pervasive developmental disorders of the brain. It is not a disease. People with classical autism show three types of symptoms: impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual or severely limited activities and interests. These symptoms can vary in severity. In addition, people with autism often have abnormal responses to sounds, touch, or other sensory stimulation. Symptoms usually appear during the first three years of childhood and continue through life. Recent studies strongly suggest that some people have a genetic predisposition to autism. Researchers are looking for clues about which genes contribute to this increased susceptibility. In some children, environmental factors also may play a role. Studies of people with autism have found abnormalities in several regions of the brain which suggest that autism results from a disruption of early fetal brain development. Autism affects an estimated 10 to 20 of every 10,000 people, depending on diagnostic criteria used, and strikes males about four times more often than females.

Is there any treatment?
There is currently no cure for autism, but appropriate treatment may foster relatively normal development and reduce undesirable behaviors. Educational/behavioral therapies and drug interventions are designed to remedy specific symptoms. Educational/behavioral therapies emphasize highly structured and often intensive skill-oriented training. Doctors also may prescribe a variety of drugs to reduce symptoms of autism Other interventions are available, but few, if any, scientific studies support their use.

What is the prognosis?
People with autism have normal life expectancies. Symptoms in many children improve with intervention or as the children age. Some people with autism eventually lead normal or near-normal lives. Adolescence can worsen behavior problems in some children, and parents should be ready to adjust treatment for the child's changing needs. About a third of children with autistic spectrum disorders eventually develop epilepsy. The risk is highest in children with severe cognitive impairment and motor deficits.

What research is being done?
NINDS supports studies aimed at identifying the underlying brain abnormalities of autism through new methods of brain imaging and other innovative techniques, and at identifying genes that increase the risk of autism. Researchers also are investigating possible biologic markers present at birth that can identify infants at risk for the development of autism. Other studies are examining how different brain regions develop and function in relation to each other, and how alterations in these relationships may result in the signs and symptoms of autism. Researchers hope these studies will provide new clues about how autism develops and how brain abnormalities affect behavior.

4182 Adams Avenue
San Diego CA 92116
www.autism.com/ari
Tel: 619-281-7165
Fax: 619-563-6840

Autism Society of America

7910 Woodmont Ave.
Suite 300
Bethesda MD 20814-3015
www.autism-society.org
Tel: 301-657-0881 800-3AUTISM (328-8476)
Fax: 301-657-0869

Association for Science in Autism Treatment

175 Great Neck Road
Suite 406
Great Neck NY 11021
asat@autism-treatment.org
Tel: 516-466-4400
Fax: 516-466-4484

Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC)

1450 Parkside Avenue
Suite 22
Ewing NJ 08638
information@njcosac.org
www.njcosac.org
Tel: 609-883-8100 800-4-AUTISM (428-8476)
Fax: 609-883-5509

National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR)

414 Wall Street
Research Park
Princeton NJ 08540
naar@naar.org
www.naar.org
Tel: 609-430-9160 888-777-NAAR (-6227) California: 310-230-3568
Fax: 609-430-9163

National Autism Hotline

Autism Services Center
605 Ninth Street, Prichard Bldg.
Huntington WV 25701-0507
Tel: 304-525-8014
Fax: 304-525-8026

Autism National Committee (AUTCOM)

P.O. Box 6175
North Plymouth MA 02362-6175
www.autcom.org

Cure Autism Now (CAN) Foundation

5455 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 715
Los Angeles CA 90036-4234
info@cureautismnow.org
www.cureautismnow.org
Tel: 323-549-0500 888-AUTISM (-288476)
Fax: 323-549-0547

MAAP Services (for Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, and PDD)

P.O. Box 524
Crown Point IN 46308
chart@netnitco.net
www.maapservices.org/index.html
Tel: 219-662-1311
Fax: 219-662-0638

Autism Network International (ANI)

P.O. Box 35448
Syracuse NY 13235-5448
jisincla@mailbox.syr.edu
http://www.ani.ac

National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)

P.O. Box 8923
(100 Route 37)
New Fairfield CT 06812-8923
orphan@rarediseases.org
www.rarediseases.org
Tel: 203-746-6518 800-999-NORD (-6673)
Fax: 203-746-6481

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

National Institutes of Health
Bldg. 31, Rm. 2A32
Bethesda MD 20892-2425
NICHDClearinghouse@mail.nih.gov
www.nichd.nih.gov
Tel: 301-496-5133 800-370-2943

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

6001 Executive Blvd.
Rm. 8184, MSC 9663
Bethesda MD 20892-9663
nimhinfo@nih.gov
www.nimh.nih.gov/
Tel: 301-443-4513 TTY: 301-443-8431 Depression Info: 800-421-4211 Anxiety Info: 88-88-ANXIETY (269-4389) Panic Info: 888-64-PANIC (64-72642)
Fax: 301-443-4279

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Information Clearinghouse

1 Communication Avenue
Bethesda MD 20892-3456
nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov
www.nidcd.nih.gov
Tel: 800-241-1044 TTD/TTY: 241-1055

National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities

P.O. Box 1492
Washington DC 20013-1492
nichcy@aed.org

Tel: 202-884-8200 800-695-0285
Fax: 202-884-8441