More symptoms of autism
Unusual behaviour
These are typical and include one or more of the following.
- Odd mannerisms such as hand-flapping or other odd pointless movements.
- Anger or aggression if routines are changed. Children with autism often hurt themselves when they are angry by banging their head or hitting their face. Sometimes they do this to get attention.
- Actions are repeated over and over again (like rocking back and forward).
- Obsessions may develop in older children and adolescents. For example, they may have interests in unusual things like train timetables and lists.
Parents often find these problems very confusing. Not surprisingly, parents often get frustrated.
What is the IQ (intelligence) of children with autism?
Most children with autism have a low IQ. Around 7 in 10 have an IQ level below 70 which is low enough to be classed as 'learning difficulty'. (The average IQ of the normal population is 100.) Some children with autism have normal, or even high, intelligence.
How common is autism?
Autism is uncommon, but it seems to have become more common in recent years. Boys are 3 times more likely than girls to have autism. A recent study has shown that between 1988 and 1999 the number of cases of autism increased 7 times. In this study 8 in 10 cases were boys. The most common age for diagnosis was between 3-4 years. A small number of children were not diagnosed until 12 years or older. The results of this study suggest that autism will now occur in about 2-3 per 1000 children.
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