Autistic people?

Question

I always thought that Autistic people did not talk or engage in activities, but I've seen some who talk and partcipate in activities like anyone else, you couldn't tell they were Autistic. Is there different levels of it?

Answer 1

Yes, autism has a whole spectrum. I had a speech client who had autism last semester who was a total chatterbox but he definitely has autism (he was working on his r's). There are various forms of autism too, such as Asperger's Syndrome.

Answer 2

I am diagnosed with a mild form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. I've been able to talk at the same age as most everyone, and I certainly would not enjoy sitting in a corner staring blankly at a wall all day. Asperger's syndrome is diagnosed by the presence of dysfunction or unusualness in two areas: social interaction and interests/focus. A person with AS has trouble reading other people's thoughts and intentions based on body language and facial expression. As children, they are sometimes nicknamed "little professors" for their tendency to explain in great detail a subject of interest to them. They may have poor eye contact and unusual motor stereotypies. They may have trouble understanding the social nuances of language (when to say thank you and hello) despite sophisticated language.

A person with Asperger's syndrome (or mild autism) can get engrossed in an interest (psychology, comic book characters, train schedules, presidents, etc.) and learn every fact they can about the subject. They may only be interested in one minute aspect of the subject, though. People with Asperger's and autism preferring talking about these interests and usually find smalltalk about the weather (unless they're interested in meterology), sports, celebrities, and gossip painfully boring. Personally, I see nothing wrong with having different interests although the vast superficial majority seems to think being in the majority automatically makes their behavior normal and acceptable and behavior that deviates from that pathological.

Answer 3

I had an autistic student in a grade school who could talk and answer questions, but it was pretty erratic. He almost never would look at you when he answered, but he was what you might call a "high functioning" autistic.
His regular teacher told me to never call on him, but when it was clear he knew the answer I would. His Dad was a great guy and let me know that his son did get something out of the DARE classes I taught him.
So there are the lower level functioning autistic children who are basically in their own walled off world and some who do pretty well.
The sad thing is that Autism seems to be on the rise, and noone seems to know why?

Answer 4

Yes, there are many kinds of autism. The movie "Rain Man" with Dustin Hoffman, is an example of a "savant" type. Others have Asperger's, and may be highly functional in music or art. There are concert pianists with autism. It's a condition with more hope thhan in the past. Google ORPTI or Asperger's or other sites to learn more.

Answer 5

Of course there are. My nephew has an IQ of 64 and he functions just fine. Speaks well and loves to read. I mean read. Not baby books, he's 28 and he reads novels.

Answer 6

yep Autism is what is known as a spectrum disorder meaning there are people with autism that fall all along spectrum from mild to severe.