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it affects how we interact with others. Autism can also affect how a person learns and how his or her imagination works. The word autism comes from the Ancient Greek word autos, which means “self.” (For example, an autobiography is a biography written by the person who lived it.) The disorder was defined by Dr. Leo Kanner. In 1943, Kanner wrote a paper in which he described the symptoms we now call autism. Before that time, kids with autism were often considered to be just “slow,” “strange,” or even “crazy.” The Spectrum Autism can have a wide range of impacts on different people. Some need a lot of help, even with simple daily activities.

According to the group Autism Speaks, the disorder costs a family an average of $60,000 per year.