Imagine a song stuck in your head...and it never goes away.
Imagine people's voices sounding so loud they're like fire engines.
Imagine your soft cotton T-shirt feeling like a burlap bag.
Imagine not being able to feel food in your mouth, or a full bladder.
Imagine someone's simple touch feeling like fire.
Imagine having feeling in your hair and the pain of having it cut.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism and its associated behaviors have been estimated to occur in as many as 1 in 250 births Based on prevalence statistics from the National Institutes of Health (2001) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2001). Autism is four times more prevalent in boys than girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries. Family income, lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect the chance of autism's occurrence. Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability.