Why is Autism so controversial?

image @ Kid’s Health

Autism: The Disease, The Debate, and The Devastated Families - by Catherine Morgan

This week in a New York Times article, the debate continued over the cause and treatment of Autism. A family once united is now divided.

A year after their grandson Christian received a diagnosis of autism in 2004, Bob Wright, then chairman of NBC/Universal, and his wife, Suzanne, founded Autism Speaks, a mega-charity dedicated to curing the dreaded neurological disorder that affects one of every 150 children in America today.

The Wrights’ venture was also an effort to end the internecine warfare in the world of autism — where some are convinced that the disorder is genetic and best treated with intensive therapy, and others blame preservatives in vaccinations and swear by supplements and diet to cleanse the body of heavy metals. — read full article,

But for those of us who don’t know too much about autism…What is autism? What are the sypmptoms of autism?