Autism is a developmental disorder that usually appears within the first three years of life. It is a biological/neurological disorder that affects four times as many males as females. Most people with autism are also diagnosed with Mental Retardation. A common characteristic of autism is hypersensitivity to sensory input, which can make their experience of everyday sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations overwhelming and sometimes painful. Things like fire alarms, flickering lights, or certain clothing materials can "assault" their senses. They may attempt to protect themselves by withdrawing into their "own world" and thus appear unresponsive to their environment.

People with autism also display problems in their verbal and non-verbal communication skills. If the person with autism is verbal, their language often appears unusual or odd to those around them. They often are unable to recognize and interpret social cues, such as body language or facial expressions. Subsequently, people with autism often avoid are are indifferent to social contact. One theory for this relates to the release of beta-endorphins (an opiate-like substance in the brain) that has been found to occur for most people as a result of social interactions.

Behavioraly, people with autism display repetitive or stereotypic patterns of behavior. Some examples include: perseveration (getting "stuck" on a word, phrase, or idea and repeating it with great frequency) and self-stimulation - rocking, spinning items, and head-banging are among the most common. Self-injury, tantrums, and aggression sometimes occur, possibly related to frustration with their inability to communicate, sensory over-stimulation, anxiety, or a painful medical condition they cannot tell us about. They may also become upset at small changes in their environment or daily routine. It is important to try to prepare them for upcoming changes early to give them time to adjust, since they tend to process information very slowly, due to the neurological impairments associated with their disorder. Visual cues can also be helpful, since many people with autism "think in pictures" (cont. on page 4)