Definition
Autism is a developmental disorder which affects people's social and communication skills and impairs the natural instinct within most people to relate to their fellow human beings. People with autism show little curiosity or imagination and frequently seem uninterested or indifferent. Pupils with autism often have accompanying learning disabilities.
Autism is considered to be a disability which lies on a continuum, with people being affected to different degrees of severity.
Asperger Syndrome is related to autism at the more able end of the spectrum, and pupil's with autism who have been integrated into mainstream provision are often those described as having Asperger Syndrome.
There are approximately four times as many boys as girls with autism.
In some cases children with autism may have an isolated area of ability, i.e. one or two skills in which they are markedly more advanced than in their general developmental level. This, however, is a rare occurrence, and certainly not typical of pupils with autism.
It is important to remember that each pupil with autism is a person in his/her own right with his/her own individual characteristics as well as those typically displayed by a person with autism.
Further information on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome can be found on the following Internet sites.
The Autism Channel. Support, chat and information.
Article on Autism.
A collection of resources pertaining to Asperger's Syndrome and related disorders.