Autism

Autism is a serious developmental disorder that affects a child's ability to communicate and interact with others. For reasons that are not clear, the disease is three to four times more common in boys than it is in girls. Children with autism often are self-absorbed and seem to exist in a private world where they are unable to successfully communicate and interact with others. They may have difficulties in developing language skills and understanding what others say to them. They may also have difficulties to communicate nonverbally, such as through hand gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions.
Not every child with autism will have a language problem. A child’s ability to communicate will vary, depending upon his or her intellectual and social development. Some children with autism may be unable to speak while others may have rich vocabularies and be able to talk about specific subjects in great detail. Most children with autism have little or no problem pronouncing words. The majority, however, have difficulty using language effectively, especially when they talk to other people. Many have problems with the meaning and rhythm of words and sentences.
There are some patterns of language use and behaviors that are often found in children with autism. Firstly, they use repetitive or rigid language. Children with autism who can speak will say things that have no meaning or that seem out of context in conversations with others. For example, a child may continuously repeat words he or she has heard or keep asking the same question. In addition, some children with autism may also speak in a high-pitched tone or use robot-like voice.
Secondly, children with autism usually have narrow interests and exceptional abilities. Some children may be able to deliver an in-depth monologue about a topic that holds their interest, even though they may not be able to carry on a two-way conversation about the same topic. Some have musical talents or an advanced ability to