Autism Dictionary

adult autism: When a person who is diagnosed with autism reaches the age of 22, public schools' are no longer responsible for providing services. Families should then plan ahead regarding living arrangements, education and employment.

Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists (clonidine): Drugs that can help control hyperactivity and behavioral problems in some patients with autism.

anticonvulsants: Drug often used to manage seizures and stabilize moods and behavior in autistic patients.

antipsychotic medication: Drugs originally developed to treat schizophrenia. They do show some positive effects in treating autistic children's behavior.

applied behavioral analysis: Concentrates on teaching autistic children academic, social and day-to-day skills including eating, personal hygiene and cooking.

Asperger's syndrome: A pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) in which children have impaired social skills and difficulty with social relationships. Unlike autism, Asperger's patients show no significant language delays and possess average to above-average intellectual abilities.

auditory integration: Teaches autistic children to focus on a wider range of sound frequencies, which in theory improves behavior and attention.

augmentative communication: A therapy used to help non-verbal autistic children communicate needs without using words. Builds the foundation for more complicated speech/language therapy.

autism: A childhood developmental disorder. Autistic children have difficulty with social interaction, language acquisition and communication, struggle to interact with their surroundings.

autism spectrum disorder: A diagnosis of childhood autism that requires the child to have significant impairment in the areas of social relationships, communication skills and behavior/interests.

behavioral modification: A techniques that teaches autistic children to control inappropriate and repetitive behavior. May involve play therapy to help develop emotions and teach social skills.

benzodiazepines: Drugs such as Valium® used to treat autistic behavior. Side effects may include dependency, muscle pain, convulsions, insomnia, and vomiting.

childhood disintegrative disorder: A disorder that usually begins to affect children at the age of three; characterized by regression in verbal, motor and social skills, bladder and bowel control, and the development of autistic-like behavior.

"Cold mother myth": A disproved theory that claimed parental lack of nurturing and love was a cause of autism.

discrete trial training: A type of applied behavioral analysis that breaks behavior modification training into small, manageable goals, such as saying "hello" when greeted.