What is autism?
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental disability. It impacts how people communicate, interact, and experience the world. It is not a disease.
We are still learning why some people are autistic. Autism is not caused by vaccines. Someone is more likely to be autistic when there are other autistic people in their family.
Autism looks and feels different for each person. Some autistic people do not need much support. Some autistic people need lots of help from their community. Many autistic people speak. Some communicate in other ways. Some autistic people prefer a few friendships. Some autistic people prefer having lots of friends.
Most children do not grow out of autism. But how autism looks for a toddler can be very different than how autism looks for a young adult. The amount of support that an autistic person needs can change over time as all people change over time.
Finding supports early can also help autistic children learn and grow. These supports can help them work toward their goals and live joyfully.
Want to Learn More?
The material and information on this website is for general information purposes only. You should not rely upon the material or information on the website as a basis for making clinical, legal, or other decisions.