Autism is considered to be the most serious disorder among Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism is triggered by neurological dysfunctions, in some cases causing dramatic, irreversible damage in behaviors, social interactions, communication skills and even physical development. Although people who suffer from autism don’t always seem to be different from normal people, the presence of abnormalities is revealed by the way they socially interact, communicate, and learn.

Autism symptoms can usually be spotted during the first years of life. Despite the fact that autistic people share common features of the disorder, it is wrong to generalize the aspects of autism. People with autism, just like normal people, develop unique, distinctive personalities and have different ways of understanding and relating to the world. Furthermore, people with autism sometimes have high, above average IQ’s. Autistic people usually have good mathematical skills and good memory.

People with autism tend to experience emotional problems at different stages of their lives due to their evasive, withdrawing behaviors and they often become depressed. An obvious autism symptom is the predisposition towards stereotype, repetitive behaviors, and the preference for activities that involve maintaining a certain routine. People with autism strongly resist change and they are usually very tidy and organized. They categorize personal objects, maintaining everything in a very strict order. It is thought that autistic people refuse to engage in spontaneous activities due to their poor adaptability to new situations.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities proposes the following autism symptoms in identifying the presence of the disorder:

- poor emphatic skills, inability of understanding and coping with others’ distress;

- inability of relating to other people, lack of interest in other persons; it is a fact that autistic people have behaviors oriented towards the self;

- avoidance of social interactions, refusal of making eye contact, isolation from the external world;

- difficulties in expressing feelings or understanding other people’s emotions;

- poor responsiveness when called by their name, refusal of redirecting their attention towards people when asked to;

- difficulties in expressing their needs and desires;

- repeating ideas within a conversation, incoherent speech;

- unusual reactions to external stimuli like sounds, tastes or smells;

- deterioration of the skills they once possessed.

Children with autism need special care and attention and appropriate treatment in order to minimize the harm caused by their disorder. It is vital to pay attention to autism symptoms when suspecting that a child may be suffering from the disorder. Children with autism better deal with the disorder if they have been diagnosed with autism at an early age.

Adults with autism are able to take care of themselves, especially if they suffer from milder forms of the disorder. They can sometimes be successfully integrated in the society and some autistic people can even handle a job. However, many people with autism have unpredictable behaviors and need to be under the constant care of their families. Autistic people that have more severe forms of the disorder are usually institutionalized and kept under strict monitoring.