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Behind The Disorder: Autism and What You Thought You Knew Much like any other mental disorder in our world today, autism is foreign and misunderstood by many. After having read this, some of the facts and information on childhood autism will become clear. Autism is a very serious mental disorder, and originates within the first three years of a child’s life. From either birth or infancy, autism leaves children with the inability to develop socially or communicatively (Savas 1). Those who are affected are easily set apart from the “normal” children by their unusual and strange behavior. ASD, autistic spectrum disorder, is a neurological disorder and affects the basic functions of the brain and is derived from the Greek term ‘autos,’ whose meaning is a preoccupation with oneself. Autism is not defined by its cause, but by its symptoms unlike most disorders, which may include purposeless and repetitive behaviors such as opening or closing doors, rocking, or hand clapping (Lemer 1). Although the causes of autism are relatively unknown, some theories do exist. Researchers go back and forth with the idea that the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine may or may not be a cause of autism. Logically, m