Autism is usually diagnosed in early childhood using behavior observations, adaptive and maladaptive behavior scales, medical evaluation, developmental assessments, and psychiatric assessment.
Genetics, neurology and environment may contribute to autism.
Repetitive behaviors amd intense focus on unusual interests, such as hoarding items of little practical use or obsessive reading of numbers in a telephone book are common. Some with Autism are can live independently and hold a job. Others require assistance throughout their lives. A wide range of behaviors and characteristics appear between those two extremes.
Treatment for Autism is most successful when medical professionals, teachers, and families work together to ensure consistency at home and school in teaching methods, behavior management, and routines.
Special Education Programs for people with Autism must be flexible to meet their varied needs. The Least Restrictive Environment can range from placement in a regular classroom with adaptations and modifications to placement in a special education resource or self-contained program. In rare incidents, autistic students require services from specialized educational and psychiatric programs to learn.
The IDEA specifies autism as one of the thirteen disability categories of eligibility for special education services under 34 CFR 300.8(c)(6). Autism is characterized as a developmental disability significantly affecting;
- expressive and receptive communication ability;
- [link rul=http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/socialskills/Social_Skills_Development_Strategies_to_Teach_Social_Skills.htm]social interaction;[/link] and
- educational performance.
- engagement in repetitive activities;
- stereotyped movements,
- significant need for predictability, order, and routine;
- resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines;
- tactile defensiveness or hypersensitivity, and
