Mary Lynn Dodson knew as soon as her son, Lou, was born that he was somehow "different." She remembered that Lou never liked to be held. "If I tried to cuddle him, he would cry something awful and arch his back. It was so hard to keep him close to me," she added. Lou seemed to be in his own world and rarely even looked at his mother. He often rocked himself back and forth in his crib. Aside from grunting noises, Lou did not talk. As Lou grew older, Ms. Dodson observed that he would get upset if there was even the smallest change in his routine. His favorite toy was his train set. His mother reported that Lou was fascinated with the wheels and would spin them over and over. Lou’s diagnosis is:

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) normally begins early in childhood and lasts throughout a person's life. It is a developmental and neurological disorder that affects how a person reacts and irelate with others, equally how they communicates, and learns and perceive situations.

It is called a spectrum disorder because of how they can have can have a range of symptoms. They might have challenges talking with you, or they might not have the ability to look you in the eye when you talk to them and may often seem to be in their own world.