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Autism.

Not until the middle of the twentieth century was there a name for a disorder that now appears to affect an estimated 3.4 every 1,000 children ages 3-10, a disorder that causes disruption in families and unfulfilled lives for many children. Research from 2009 suggests autism now affects every 1 in 110 children. In 1943 Dr. Leo Kanner of the Johns Hopkins Hospital studied a group of 11 children and introduced the label early infantile autism into the English language. At the same time a German scientist, Dr. Hans Asperger, described a milder form of the disorder that became known as Asperger syndrome. Thus these two disorders were described and are today listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as two of the five pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), more often referred to today as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). All these disorders are characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior.
The following "red flags" may indicate your child is at risk for an autism spectrum disorder. If your child exhibits any of the following, please dont delay in asking your pediatrician or family doctor for an evaluation:

No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by nine months No babbling by 12 months No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months No words by 16 months No meaningful, two-word phrases (not including imitating or repeating) by 24 months Any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age

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