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Autism Spectrum Disorder ( Asd )

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a term used to describe a category of conditions also referred to as pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). Some of the PDD include: Autism or Autistic Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder---Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) which includes Atypical Autism (Yapko, 2003). These disorders affect three primary areas of development. First is communication, which is verbal and nonverbal. Second there is social interaction. Lastly, there is repetitive patterns of behavior. Children with Asperger’s may not always get along with other children around them. They tend to asphyxiate themselves with one hobby, and learn everything there is to know about it. All of the disorders mentioned can be grouped together under a single heading: Pervasive Developmental Disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Autism or Autistic Disorder typically refers to the traditional or classical forms of what psychiatrist Kanner (n.d.) identified in 1943 and labeled as “early infantile autism.” According to the DSM-IV, a person must have six of the possible 12 diagnostic criteria in order to be given the diagnosis of Autism. At least two must fall under the diagnostics of a social impairments, at least one diagnostic of a communication impairment and behavior/ interests and activities. Most individuals with Autism have Mental Retardation (Yapko,

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