Could Autism cause a person to be a retard?
547650
one of the characteristics of autism is mental retardation (an IQ severely below average), so i guess you could say that it causes it, yeah. it goes hand in hand with it.\n\ni just meant that it COULD be a characteristic, so if someone had autism and was mentally retarded, it could be because of the disease. and i know not all people with autism are. and individuals with aspergers have normal to high IQs even. all i was doing was answering the question 'could austism cause a person to be a retard?' and while poorly worded, yeah it could.
276387
At this point in time, doctors can't seem to agree on definitive causes of Autism. Some believe Autism is congenital(born with) and others believe it is acquired later in life.  Autism has been associated to hypersensitive hearing and even some forms of Mental Retardation. There are even varying degrees of Autism(mild, moderate, severe, profound).  I would look for a Dr. who specializes in Asperger's Syndrome he/she will probably be aware of new causes/treatments.\n\nGood Luck!
630867
Asperger's is a very confusing experience, not just in adolescence.  It is a mild form of Autism, so everything is confusing and strange.  Can't be put into words.
1085397
It depends on if he is a high functioning Autism person. Some live very productive lives. There functioning can also be higher some days then others. As for the unwashed dishes and clothes, well that's not being Autism, that's being a teenager. If it really worries you then have the authorities check it out.
34570
Do you need help? Is someone you love autistic? It is so scary becuase so little is known about it and it seems like there is nowhere to turn. My brother is autistic and if you would please email me at sassybubs3087@yahoo.com and I can give you more information on austism and where to get help. I do not know if there are any cases in your area. Good luck\nNote to others: Please do not contact me via email unless you have an autism related question and then I will attempt to help you to the best of my abilities.
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Well, Autism's SYMPTOMS include: impairment in communication skills/social interactions and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior.\n\nSmall children will seem non-responsive, not be very "chatty", will focus on one object for an unusually long amount of time.\n\n\nYou can read more about Autism below.
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Psychosis can be "comorbid" (happen at the same time) as other disorders like Aspergers. If someone already has one form of neurological imbalance, they are more susceptible to other forms as well.\n\nMy son is on the opposite side of this as yours. He initially was screened when he was 7 for autism-spectrum disorders (especially Asperger's), found not to be autistic, given "inattentive ADHD" diagnosis to cover his needs in school until something clearer emerged, and now is diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Psychotic Disorder NOS (age 12). The medications do not take care of all the symptoms, but they make his conditions manageable. Right now he's constantly claiming to be "sensing the energy from small earthquakes in the area," and I've been using the USGS Earthquake site to show him that there's nothing really happening. Sigh. I think the hardest part for me right now is the night terrors, where he is screaming and trying to claw his way into the wall to get away from whatever he is seeing, including me. The only thing that eventually reaches and calms him is for me to sing the lullabies I used when he was an infant (from about 20 feet away). It is surreal to be at one end of the hall at 2:00 in the morning, with soft singing of "Hush Little Baby" comingling with the raw and painful screetches of terror echoing through our house.\n\nThe best way to deal with your son's anxiety is to try to maintain as consistent a routine as possible in all things, and be understanding about the psychotic episodes. If the meds are not working to calm the worst aspects of the psychosis, and the person managing his meds right now insists it is appropriate, get a second opinion.
1159608
I have a grandson with high-function autism.  They thought at first that he had Aspergers, but now they don't think he does.  why?
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HMMMMM.Has he had chronic ear infections or anything like that? BUT....speech does go along with ASD most of the time. Look for other signs like he doesn't like to be touched, doesn't like to look in anyone eyes. If this is what ANYONE is suspicious of make sure they don't give them the run around get him tested because with these kids the sooner they get help the more productive and maybe even "normal" they can be as an adult.here are some links to look at that will help\nhttp://www.firstsigns.org/delays_disorders/asd.htm\nhttp://www.justmommies.com/articles/autism-symptoms.shtml
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Yes, children with autism and Asperger's disorder have trouble in social situations.  They don't relate well to others their own age.  Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) is a term used for children who do not take direction from adults or others in authority.  There are many others.
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Yes, but there is an increased risk of their child also having Down Syndrome. Sometimes very mentally retarded people are sterile though, so if this is a question pertaining to a certian someone you know, they'd need to get a check up to find out for SURE.
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The person never develops the typical neurology for their age, instead developing characteristically autistic neurology. Certain autistic symptoms are present from birth, but the most obvious symptoms are only detectable at an age when a non-autistic child would start to speak. Most autistic children either never develop speech or have it significantly delayed, and in any case they communicate in a characteristically unusual manner.\n\nThe alternative to early infantile autism is regressive autism, in which neurological development superficially appears normal for the first 18 months or so and then switches to the autistic pattern. When most people think of autism in children below the age of two years, they think of early infantile autism. These two terms are actually misnomers: in both cases the child is autistic well before birth, and the difference is only in the onset of symptoms. Once a person is on the standard autistic developmental track, the distinction makes very little difference.
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I have been diangnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.It's a type of high functioning autisim.Here is some information I have found on all three conditions.\n\nAutism\nAutism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior.\nAlthough the specific etiology of autism is unknown, many researchers suspect that autism results from genetically mediated vulnerabilities to environmental triggers. And while there is disagreement about the magnitude, nature, and mechanisms for such environmental factors, researchers have found at least seven major genes prevalent among individuals diagnosed as autistic. Some estimate that autism occurs in as many as one United States child in 166, however the National Institute of Mental Health gives a more conservative estimate of one in 1000[1]. For families that already have one autistic child, the odds of a second autistic child may be as high as one in twenty. Although autism is about 3 to 4 times more common in boys, girls with the disorder tend to have more severe symptoms and greater cognitive impairment. Diagnosis is based on a list of psychiatric criteria, and a series of standardized clinical tests may also be used.\nAutism may not be physiologically obvious. A complete physical and neurological evaluation will typically be part of diagnosing autism. Some now speculate that autism is not a single condition but a group of several distinct conditions that manifest in similar ways.\nBy definition, autism must manifest delays in "social interaction, language as used in social communication, or symbolic or imaginative play," with "onset prior to age 3 years", according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The ICD-10 also says that symptoms must "manifest before the age of three years." There have been large increases in the reported incidence of autism, for reasons that are heavily debated by researchers in psychology and related fields within the scientific community.\nSome children with autism have improved their social and other skills to the point where they can fully participate in mainstream education and social events, but there are lingering concerns that an absolute cure from autism is impossible with current technology. However, many autistic children and adults who are able to communicate (at least in writing) are opposed to attempts to cure their conditions, and see such conditions as part of who they are.\nThere is a great diversity in the skills and behaviors of individuals diagnosed as autistic, and physicians will often arrive at different conclusions about the appropriate diagnosis. Much of this is due to the sensory system of autistics, which is quite different from the sensory system of other people, since certain stimulations can affect an autist differently than a non-autist, and the degree to which the sensory system is affected varies wildly from one autistic person to another.\nNevertheless, professionals within pediatric care and development often look for early indicators of autism in order to initiate treatment as early as possible. However, some people do not believe in treatment for autism, either because they do not believe autism is a disorder or because they believe treatment can do more harm than good.\nSocial development\nTypically, developing infants are social beings—early in life they do such things as gaze at people, turn toward voices, grasp a finger, and even smile. In contrast, most autistic children prefer objects to faces and seem to have tremendous difficulty learning to engage in the give-and-take of everyday human interaction. Even in the first few months of life, many seem indifferent to other people because they avoid eye contact and do not interact with them as often as non-autistic children.\nChildren with autism often appear to prefer being alone to the compa
611034
Many people with cerebral palsy are very intelligent.  It's just that the condition, which effects speech and other motor functions, may cause them to appear to be mentally handicapped.
553534
My step son is 11 and he's autistic... mild and high functioning but he still has a lot of the autistic traits. My step daughter is 6 and we recently had her tested for autism since she was showing traits of autism as well. Come to find out, she's not autistic, she's emulating her brother. \n\nAny 3-year-old is going to pick up traits from those that he is around. If his issue is one merely of delayed speech, then he needs to be working with a speech therapist. I'm rather surprised that he is placed with autistic children as any health care or educational professional worth their salt knows that young children are extremely impressionable. \n\nHowever, if you have concerns of autistic behavior at all...and if your son has not been diagnosed by a psychologist who specializes in autism, then I would highly suggest you bite the bullet and have him evaluated... if nothing else for you peace of mind.
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Autism effects children worldwide\nby Edward F. Group III, D.C., Ph.D, N.D.,CCN\n\nAutism is classed as a type of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). It interferes with a person's ability to communicate with and relate to others. Autism is a lifelong condition that results in some degree of social isolation.\nMany autistic infants are different from birth. They may arch their back away from their caregiver to avoid any physical contact and go limp when someone tries to pick them up. As infants, they are often described as either passive or overly agitated babies. A passive baby is one who is quiet most of the time while making very little, if any, demands on his/her parents. But an overly agitated baby cries a great deal, sometimes non-stop, during his/her waking hours. During infancy many begin to rock and/or bang their head against the crib.\nIn the first few years of life, some autistic children start talking, crawling, and walking, much earlier than the average child, while others may be delayed. Approximately one-half of autistic children develop normally until somewhere between 1 1/2 to 3 years of age; then autistic symptoms begin to emerge.\nDuring childhood, autistic children may fall behind their same-aged peers in the areas of communication, social skills, and cognition. In addition, dysfunctional behaviors may start to appear, such as rocking, hand-flapping, hand-biting, head-banging, sleeping and eating problems, poor eye contact, insensitivity to pain, hyper-/hypo-activity, and attention deficits.\nOne characteristic which is quite common in autism is the individual becomes overly insistent on routines; if one is changed, even slightly, the child may become upset and have a tantrum. Some common examples are: drinking and/or eating the same food items at every meal, wearing certain clothing or insisting that others wear the same clothes, and going to school using the same route.\nWhen it comes to housing, many autistic children live at home. Usually, only the most severe individuals live in institutions. In adulthood, some autistic people live at home with their parents; some live in residential facilities; some live semi-independently (such as in a group home); and others live independently. There are autistic adults who graduate from college and receive graduate degrees; and some develop adult relationships and may marry. In the work environment, many autistic adults can be reliable and conscientious workers.
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Very logical answers to a very good question.  After attending several seminars and spending time with Autistic families I've come to believe there are definately genetic issues.  I do believe in some cases the gene is dormant until exposed to a enviromental factor.  Some studies have indicated regions where enviromental pollutants are more severe, there are far more cases of autism in those particular areas.  But again, I agree with the above answers..  we are far more educated about autism so it may be a case of more accurated dx's are being made...  ie, rather than dx's a child with  retardation, the persons behaviors  observed more closely and dx'd as autistim....