Six facts about Autism

1 Symptoms of autism usually appear during the first three years of life.
2 Autism is four to five times more common in males than females.
3 Autism affects 10 to 15 of every 10,000 births of all racial, ethnic and social backgrounds.

4 People with autism vary widely in intelligence levels, abilities, and behavioural characteristics.
5 Approximately three quarter of all autistic children are mentally retarded. Female autistic children tend to exhibit more severe mental retardation.

6 About a third of all individuals with autism develop seizures – it can also occur with other conditions such as deafness, Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome.