Originally thought to be a result of poor parenting, autism, first diagnosed in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner, has now been linked to genetic influences. Autism is defined as "A psychiatric disorder of childhood characterized by marked deficits in communication and social interaction, preoccupation with fantasy, language impairment, and abnormal behavior, such as repetitive acts and excessive attachment to certain objects. It is usually associated with intellectual impairment" (American Heritage, 2000). With personality traits such as emotional disconnection, stubbornness, and inability to function in society, it is easy to see why parenting was to blame. However, further symptoms have made people realize that this syndrome must be caused by something else. People with autism generally have an error in the way they receive information in their brain. This causes them to hear colors and see sounds and other things. They also seem to have trouble expressing emotion, or expressing......

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Title: Autism
Approximate Word Count: 1183
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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