Autism, as defined by Autism LifeSpan is: 
A neurological disorder that impairs the development of a person's ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is referred to as a spectrum disorder- meaning the symptoms can occur in any combination and with varying degrees of severity.

• Occurs in 1 in 110 children and 1 in 70 boys (1)
  
• Affects 1 to 1.5 million Americans (2)
• Is the fastest growing developmental disability
• Has a 10-17% annual growth
• U.S. population increase:13%
• Disability increase: 16%
• Autism increase: 172%
• Costs $90 billion dollars annually (4)
• 90% of costs are for adult services (4)
• Cost of lifelong care can be reduced 2/3 with early diagnoses and intervention (4)
• In 10 years the annual cost will be $200-400 billion (5)

1. Based on prevalence statistics from the center of disease control and prevention (2009).
2. Based on the autism prevalence rate of 2 to 6 per 1,000 (center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001) and U.S. Census figure of 280 million Americans.
3. U.S. Department of Education’s “Twenty-First Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Act” (1999).
4. Jarbink K, Knapp M, 2001, London School of Economics study: “The economic impact on autism in Britain,” 5 (1): 7-22.
5. The Autism Society of America, February 2003.

With autism comes the triad of impairments. This commonly used phrase helps describe the three main areas of difficulty people with autism exhibit. These include; social interactions, language including non-verbal communication, and imagination, which lead to repetitive and restricted behaviors. 

At this point the cause of autism is unknown, but medical professionals believe there is a genetic predisposition which is triggered by an environmental factor causing autism or autistic tendencies to occur.

There is no cure for autism. With a combination of treatments and therapy, a child can become more efficient in social interactions, communication and imaginative play.