Autism, also known as autism, is a subtype of pervasive developmental disorder that is prevalent in males and begins in infancy and early childhood, manifested mainly by varying degrees of speech and language developmental disorders, interpersonal difficulties, narrow interests and stereotyped behavior. About 3/4 of patients have significant mental retardation, and some children have good abilities in a certain area against a background of general intellectual backwardness. Although the etiology of autism is not fully understood, current research suggests that certain risk factors may be associated with the development of autism. The risk factors for autism can be summarized as: genetics, infection and immunity, and physical and chemical stimulation during pregnancy. What are the manifestations of autism? (1) Social interaction deficits, as evidenced by at least two of the following: (1) Significant deficits in a variety of nonverbal communication behaviors such as eye contact, facial expressions, body posture, and social gestures. (2) Inability to establish age-appropriate partnerships. ③ Lack of spontaneous expressions of seeking to share pleasures, interests, and accomplishments with others, (e.g., does not show, bring, or point to items of interest to others). Lack of interactive human or emotional interaction, (e.g., does not actively participate in play activities, prefers to play alone, sees toys as “tools”). 2. Speech dysfunction, as evidenced by at least the following: ① Delayed or complete lack of oral language development and no attempt to replace it with other forms of communication such as body posture and sign language. ② Lack of ability to initiate or maintain a conversation with others in patients with adequate language skills ③ Stereotyped language and repetitive or odd language. 3. Repetitive stereotyped behavior, as evidenced by at least 1 of the following: ① Being surrounded by one or more narrow and stereotyped interests. The intensity or focus of attention is different from the norm ② Stereotyped repetitive motor skill movements (e.g., hand waving, finger fluttering, or complex whole body movements). If a child meets the above three symptoms, the family should take the child to the hospital for further screening. Early warning signs of autism: not looking or looking less, not responding or responding less, not pointing or pointing less, not talking or talking less, not referring, not showing, showing off; not nodding, not shaking head, not seeking comfort, should be afraid or not afraid, should laugh or not laugh, should cry or not cry. What is the diagnosis and screening for autism? Early screening for infants over 6 months of age: 1. 6 months old cannot be amused (shows loud laughter), eyes rarely look at people 2. 10 months old or so, no response to name calling, hearing normal; 3. 12 months old, no response to verbal instructions, no babbling, no gestural language; no gaze following; not interested in imitation of movement; 4. 16 months old, no vocabulary, little response to language, ignoring others 5. 18 months of age, no finger pointing or eye following, no reference or giving behavior; 6. 24 months of age, no spontaneous two-word phrases; 7. regression of language function or social skills at any age; how to treat autism? The main psychological and behavioral treatments are language training, sensory integration training and sand tray psychotherapy. Most children with autism have language impairment and language training can improve their ability to communicate. Because of their incomplete language development, sandtrays can be used to communicate more effectively with children with autism and to understand their inner thoughts. Sensory integration training can be effective in improving the autistic child’s response to sensation. In autistic children, there are varying degrees of impairment and damage in the development of the nervous system. A sound development of the sensory nervous system not only leads to more flexible body movements, but also a great improvement in language skills and a natural progress in other learning abilities. Medication is mainly used to control some emotional and behavioral problems. What is the prognosis and prevention of autism? Autism is a chronic condition with a poor prognosis. About 2/3 of children with autism are unable to live independently as adults and require lifelong care and maintenance. Factors affecting the prognosis include IQ, the presence or absence of communicative language at age 5, and educational training. Early, planned medical and remedial education and long-term adherence can help improve the prognosis. Prevention is an important measure to reduce the risk of autism at birth. In the early stages of pregnancy, when the embryonic neural tube is forming and developing, it is important to avoid drug abuse, especially antiepileptic drugs; to avoid viral infections; to avoid environments with large variations in temperature and cold; and to avoid major mental stimulation and trauma.