UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF AUTISM

The scope for patients suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder today is far brighter than what it was a century ago. A few of these individuals, after great efforts, can read, write and communicate reasonably well while living in their homes rather than support institutions. Nevertheless, a large segment of adults suffering from Autism cannot work full-time to earn their livelihood. To add to the misery, marriage and long-term relationships are out of reach for such patients. Autism Spectrum Disorder is now redefined as a constellation of symptoms manifested by defective social skills, impaired communication, stereotypical behavior and repetitive motor movements observed during early childhood. Although research in the area of childhood disorders has undergone an enormous development over the past 100 years, the etiology, pathogenesis, and biomarkers of Autism are still a matter of speculation. Autism research has witnessed blazing debates in recent years about the missed diagnosis and overlap of similar childhood disorders, which sometimes turned into academic rather than scientific face-offs. The Risk factors responsible for causing Autism, Classical Symptoms, the latest Diagnostic Criteria, and the Management Strategies have all been illustrated in this Review article with the help of self-explanatory flow-Charts. Furthermore, this interesting article is a humble compilation of the events that led to the unification of pervasive developmental disorders into a single disorder and unfolded how the concept of Autism spectrum disorder was sequentially evolved.