outline of autism outline of autism the following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to autism: autism – neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social interaction and communication, and involves restricted and repetitive behavior. what type of thing is autism? an autistic toddler plays by stacking cans autism can be described as all of the following: disability – may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these. developmental disability – a term used in the united states and canada to describe lifelong disabilities attributable to mental or physical impairments, manifested prior to age 18. disorder – developmental disorder – occur at some stage in a child's development, often slowing the development. neurodevelopmental disorder – or disorder of neural development, is an impairment of the growth and development of the brain or central nervous system. signs of autism signs of autism are highly variable. different individuals will have a different mix of traits. here are some of the more common signs: avoidance of eye contact – preference to avoid eye contact and feelings of fear or being overwhelmed when looking into someone's eyes developmental delay – slower acquisition of life skills emotional dysregulation – mood swings, including outbursts when overwhelmed executive dysfunction – difficulty staying organized, initiating tasks, and/or controlling impulses routines – need for routine and fear of unexpected change sensory processing disorder – over- or under-responsiveness to sensory input sincerity – tendency to tell the truth special interests – narrow and passionate areas of interest stimming – repetitive movements or sounds that stimulate the senses and regulate emotion and sensory processing conditions and research areas conditions asperger syndrome – a form of autism often applied to people with a higher iq who can have a less difficult time communicating with others and understanding concepts or phrases than other individuals with more severe autism. as of 2013, it is no longer a diagnosis on its own. instead, patients are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, which encompasses asperger syndrome. many people still use asperger's as a term when referring to "high-functioning" individuals with autism, but it is not an official diagnosis. autism – a developmental disability present from birth resulting in social difficulties, communication differences, and restricted and repetitive behavior. autism spectrum – a range of conditions classified as pervasive developmental disorders in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (dsm). childhood disintegrative disorder (cdd) – a condition in which a child experiences developmental regression. conditions comorbid to autism spectrum disorders – such as fragile x syndrome and epilepsy. developmental disability – lifelong disabilities attributable to mental or physical impairments, manifested prior to age 18. fragile x syndrome (fxs) – martin-bell syndrome, or escalante's syndrome (more commonly used in south american countries), is a genetic syndrome that is the most common known single-gene cause of autism and the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability among boys. isodicentric 15 – a genetic variation involving extra genetic material in chromosome 15. language delay – slow development of language abilities compared to the usual developmental timetable. learning disability – a classification including several areas of functioning in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner, usually caused by an unknown factor or factors. pervasive developmental disorder (pdd) – as opposed to specific developmental disorders (sdd), refers to a group of five disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. pdd-nos – (pdd-nos) is a pervasive developmental disorder (pdd), and is also considered one of the three autism spectrum disorders (asd). rett syndrome – a neurodevelopmental disorder of the grey matter of the brain that almost exclusively affects females, previously considered to be a form of autism. assessment tools autism diagnostic observation schedule – an instrument for diagnosing and assessing autism. autism spectrum quotient – aq, is a questionnaire published in 2001 by simon baron-cohen and his colleagues at the autism research centre in cambridge, uk. research areas and subjects double empathy problem – a theory suggesting that the communication difficulties present in autistic individuals are due to a reciprocal lack of understanding and bidirectional differences in communication style among other factors rather than an inherent deficiency. epidemiology of autism – the study of factors affecting autism spectrum disorders (asds). epigenetics of autism – the study of epigenetic effects in asds. mirror neuron – a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another. 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. 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 asds. controversies controversies in autism applied behavior analysis – a therapy that some have argued may be potentially abusive or too controlling, especially if the therapist is poorly trained. autism's false prophets – written by vaccine expert paul offit. autism speaks – the world's largest autism advocacy organization that sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public; some have argued that it is exploitative and unkind. controversies in autism – encompass the disagreement over the exact nature of autism, its causes and manifestations. gluten-free, casein-free diet – diet that eliminates dietary intake of gluten and casein. hyperbaric oxygen therapy – the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure. mmr vaccine and autism – was a case of scientific misconduct which triggered a health scare. mother warriors – written by new york times bestselling author jenny mccarthy. refrigerator mother – an accusing label for mothers of children diagnosed with autism or schizophrenia, now widely understood to be a myth. thiomersal and vaccines – describing discredited claims that vaccines containing the mercury-based preservative thiomersal contribute to the development of autism and other brain development disorders. pseudoscience and disproven treatments autistic enterocolitis – other studies have explicitly refuted its existence. craniosacral therapy – (also called cst, also spelled cranial sacral bodywork or therapy) is an alternative medicine therapy used by physiotherapists, osteopaths, massage therapists, naturopaths, and chiropractors. chelation therapy – the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body. not effective in autism. facilitated communication – a debunked technique which purports to allow non-verbal autistics to communicate. secretin – a hormone that controls the secretions into the duodenum, and also separately, water homeostasis throughout the body. ineffective in autism. vaccine controversy – a dispute over the morality, ethics, effectiveness, or safety of vaccinations. notable people with autism greta thunberg in 2019. susan boyle (b. 1961) was first seen on britain's got talent when she sang "i dreamed a dream" from les misérables. she has since become a successful singer and has mentioned how alive it makes her feel. she has also stated that her autism diagnosis came as a "relief" to her. michelle dawson (b. 1961) is a canadian autism researcher. temple grandin (b. 1947) is an american doctor of animal science and professor at colorado state university, bestselling author, and consultant to the livestock industry on animal behavior. anthony hopkins (b. 1937) is a welsh actor who is the first openly autistic actor to win an academy award. jim sinclair (activist) is an autism rights activist who wrote the landmark essay "don't mourn for us". greta thunberg (b. 2003) is a swedish leading climate change activist. donna williams (1963–2017) was a best-selling australian author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and sculptor diagnosed with autism after being assessed as a psychotic infant in 1965 at age two, tested multiple times for deafness and labeled disturbed throughout childhood, before treatment for gut, immune and sensory perceptual disorders in adulthood.