... usually surface in childhood, at around three years of age; and as a lifelong disability it will continue into adulthood. Autism is diagnosed by the use of a spectrum, ranging from high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome, to very severe cases of autism. As the exact cause of autism is still unknown, there is no specific 'test' to diagnose the disease, it is made from observations of behaviour. Over 500,000 people in the UK have disorders in the autistic spectrum and three quarters of these people are males. (1) Autism plays a vital role in my family, both my brother and my uncle (see picture), on my mother's side, have been diagnosed (my great uncle also displayed some 'autistic tendencies', though he was never diagnosed). My brother is 9 years old and has high functioning autism; he goes to a local special school. Autistic people face three main areas of ...

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