Autism is a presentation of neurodivergence as well as a developmental disability that includes differences or challenges in social communication skills, fine and gross motor skills, speech, and intellectual ability. Autistic traits most often appear in early childhood, and every autistic person has a different mix of characteristics, strengths, and support needs. While autism isn't a disease to be "cured," behavioral, educational, and family therapy may help with building skills and overcoming challenges.
There is no known cause of autism, but it is a form of neurodivergence that tends to run in families. Autism is a way of being a human, and being autistic is not a disease, disorder, or illness. Subsequently, there is no cure for autism. Rather, autistic people are able to thrive when they are accepted as their full selves and their needs are met.
Genes most likely play a role in people being autistic. This is supported by research that children with an autistic sibling are more likely to be diagnosed as autistic. That said, genetic factors are not the whole picture.
Vaccines do not cause autism. This is a fact that has been reaffirmed through numerous scientific studies and is robustly supported by the medical community.
In 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version 5 (DSM-5) created just one diagnostic category for autistic people—called autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, every autistic person, regardless of their specific traits, is now described as having autism spectrum disorder.
If a child is thought to be autistic, they will be seen by a team of professionals, including a child psychologist or psychiatrist, developmental-behavioral pediatrician, and child neurologist. The evaluation will include a medical history, physical exam, and testing of the child's social, language, and cognitive skills. Adults seeking a diagnosis will usually see a psychologist or psychiatrist.
High-functioning autism is not an official medical diagnosis and has many different definitions within the autistic community. The problem with labeling an autistic person as high functioning, and thus closer to neurotypical or "normal" on the spectrum of functioning, is that the term may be misleading and undermine their need for support.
Individuals diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome (now encompassed within the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder) are thought to have average to high cognitive abilities, but may struggle with social communication and interaction. Controversy surrounds the label because of its origins and its association with the term "high functioning."
Behavioral therapy is an umbrella term for different techniques used to change maladaptive or "undesirable" behaviors or skills. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the main behavior therapy associated with autism. Behavioral therapy and ABA have been critiqued by autistic self-advocates and mental health professionals as being traumatizing and harmful in its intent to make autistic people act non-autistic, and by the US Department of Defense as being ineffective.
A developmental disability is a general term for a disorder that is present from early life and is associated with differences in physical, learning, language, or behavior skills. Autism is a developmental disability.
This term used to be a catch-all diagnosis for children who met some, but not all, diagnostic criteria for Rett syndrome, fragile X, Asperger syndrome, or autism. Pervasive developmental disorder has been replaced by "autism spectrum disorder" in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The term has been critiqued for replicating functioning labels.
Autism is a spectrum because autistic people have a wide variety of traits that range in intensity and that affect social, communication, motor, and cognitive skills.
About Autism - Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
American Psychiatric Association (APA). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition: DSM-5. Philadelphia, PA: APA; May 27, 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder? Reviewed March 2020.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts About Developmental Disabilities. Reviewed September 2019.