Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an umbrella (or general) term describing a spectrum of neurodevelopmental conditions all with an early childhood onset.
There are two categories of core characteristics:
Social communication
The first consists of social communication challenges such as persistent impairment in language development, lack of reciprocal communication and social interaction.
Behavioral
The second consists of behavioral challenges such as restricted and rigid interests, repetitive or ritualistic behavior, or inflexibility and difficulty in adjustment to transitions and changes.
The worldwide prevalence rate of ASD in children is 1 in every 68 children as reported by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, CDC (2014) while the estimate in Hong Kong is 1 in 200 children (Wong & Hui, 2008). ASD affects boys five times as often as it affects girls. Worldwide, about 67 million people are diagnosed with ASD (CDC, 2014).
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Wong, V. C. N., & Hui, S. L. H. (2008). Epidemiological study of autism spectrum disorder in China. Journal of Child Neurology, 23, 67–72.