Autism
...infancy or childhood, and generally follows a steady course without remission.[11] Symptoms tend to continue through adulthood, although often in more muted form.[12] It is distinguished not by a single symptom, but by a characteristic triad of symptoms: impairments in social interaction; impairments in communication; and restricted interests and repetitive behavior. Other aspects, such as atypical eating, are also common but are not essential for diagnosis.[13] Autism is one of three related autism spectrum disorders (ASD; see Classification). Its individual symptoms occur in the general population and appear not to associate highly, without a sharp line separating pathologically severe from common traits.[14]
Social development
Social deficits distinguish ASD from other developmental disorders.[12] 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".[15]
Social impairments become apparent early in childhood. Autistic infants show less attention to social stimuli, smile and look at others less often, and respond less to their own name. Autistic toddlers have more striking social deviance; for example, they have less eye contact and anticipatory postures and are more likely to communicate by manipulating another person's hand.[16] Three- to five-year-old autistic children are less likely to exhibit social understanding, approach others spontaneously, imitate and respond to emotions, communicate nonverbally, and take turns with others. However, they do form attachments to their primary caregivers.[17] They display moderately less attachment security than usual, although this feature...
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