There has been a lot of controversy around Autism with some people blaming this and other disorders on bad parenting and un disciplined children. It is often quite hard to understand the milder forms of this kind of disorder where everything looks normal, but the child's behaviour clearly isn't!

Autism is actually a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). The other pervasive developmental disorders are PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified), Asperger's Syndrome, Rett Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Many parents and professionals refer to this group as Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Very interesting topic! Actually I was looking at some figures and today, it is estimated that one in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and paediatric AIDS combined.

An estimated 1.5 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide are affected by autism. Government statistics suggest the prevalence rate of autism is increasing 10-17 percent annually. There is no documented explanation for this increase, although possibly improved diagnosis and environmental influences may be responsible. Studies suggest boys are more likely than girls to develop autism and receive the diagnosis three to four times more frequently. Current estimates are that in the United States alone, one out of 70 boys is diagnosed with autism that is a huge number, anyone know what causes it?

There has always been a lot of discussion around what causes this and other similar conditions. The simple answer is we don't know. In the vast majority of cases of autism the cause is unknown.

The more complex answer is that just as there are many different levels of severity and combinations of symptoms in autism, there are probably multiple causes. The best scientific evidence available to us today points toward a potential for various combinations of factors causing autism – multiple genetic components that may cause autism on their own or possibly when combined with exposure to as yet unidentified environmental factors. Timing of exposure during the child's development (before, during or after birth) may also play a role in the development or final presentation of the disorder although there is on going research to look at all these things, so far nothing definitive has been put forward.

To people with autism and Asperger syndrome the world can appear chaotic with no clear boundaries, order or meaning. it is hard to imagine what that would feel like., Outwardly the child may look quite normal and indeed these disorders can vary from very mild, where the person can function as well as anyone else around them, to so severe that they are completely unable to take part in normal society.

People with autism are usually more severely disabled, while those with Asperger syndrome tend to be more able, although this isn’t always the case. Because of the range of severity and symptoms the conditions are collectively known as autistic spectrum disorders and they affect more than 580,000 people in the UK!