Causes of Autism
There is no known cause of autism yet. The more we understand autism, the more we can find out about its causes. Scientists know that it is a neurological disorder, but they have not isolated a specific virus or infection that causes it. There have been cases of people becoming autistic after a serious disease or infection, though there is no specific disease that leaves people autistic. The most productive prevention method is known as ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis. This program teaches autistic children how to behave in social situations. This process is slow, usually taking years to complete. The easiest way of detecting autism in a baby is by looking at it's eyes. Autistic babies dislike eye contact. If, when looked in the eye for a few seconds, the child turns away, the child may have autism. Another way to detect it is by holding the child. As autistic children dislike contact, the child will squirm and fidget until you let go.