
Autism is actually a spectrum of disorders that has the hallmark feature of difficulty with relating to people. By “spectrum” what is meant is that some people have a great deal of impairment in relating to others while other people miss subtle nuances of social behavior which results in milder impairment. The mildest form of autism has been referred to as Asperger’s disorder, which is named after the doctor who first described this pattern of behavior. He described these children as being like “little professors” who could be extremely interested in one particular thing like railroad schedules, yet have difficulty forming friendships and getting along with people. Currently there is research being done in attempts to determine the cause of autism. The incidence does seem to be increasing, and the medical profession is so far unsure why this is the case.