Autism Awareness

Published16 Apr 2015
Reviewed16 Apr 2015
Author Michael W. Richardson
Source BrainFacts/SfN

Overlay plots of T1-weighted magnetic resonance images and topographical maps of relative sleep electroencephalography (EEG) power distribution.

Autism
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by impaired social skills; verbal and nonverbal communication difficulties; and narrow, obsessive interests or repetitive behaviors.

Kurth, et al. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2010.

Child getting a vaccine. Photograph shows adult and holding the arm of a girl while she is getting vaccinated with a needle.

Myth: Vaccines cause autism.
There has been no conclusive, scientific evidence that any part of a vaccine causes autism.

Temporal evolution of human V1 activation measured by fMRI

Autism: The Pervasive Developmental Disorder
No disorder captures the attention of the nation like autism. David G. Amaral, PhD, explains what exactly autism is, and where the most promising research on the subject is located.

Tajima, et al. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2010.

Photo of the robot, "Russell," that teaches learning skills to autistic children and gauges their response in real time.

Humanoid Robot "Russell" Engages Children With Autism
The robot teaches learning skills to autistic children and gauges their response in real time.

Credit: National Science Foundation

New Technologies: What They Can Teach Us About Childhood Brain Disorders, Part I
Neuroscientist Damien Fair discusses how brain imaging is used to explore ways to better characterize developmental brain disorders like autism and ADHD.

New Technologies: What They Can Teach Us About Childhood Brain Disorders, Part II
Neuroscientist Damien Fair discusses how brain imaging is used to explore ways to better characterize developmental brain disorders like autism and ADHD.

New Technologies: What They Can Teach Us About Childhood Brain Disorders, Part III
Neuroscientist Damien Fair discusses how brain imaging is used to explore ways to better characterize developmental brain disorders like autism and ADHD.

More than one in seventy children are believed to be affected by autism, a condition that can cause cognitive and behavioral challenges. April is Autism Awareness Month, so take some time to learn more about autism and its effects, as well as some common myths that surround the disorder. To find out more, browse through the images and their descriptions and click on the link in each caption to read the full articles.