Imagine you wake up one day and all the familiar signals of human communication are unintelligible. A smile no longer expresses mirth or happiness, a raised voice no longer reflects excitement or anger. You can exchange words with other people, but you're talking through a heavy curtain of uncertainty. You find it difficult or impossible to behave the way people seem to expect. Welcome to the baffling world of autism, a range of disorders that is affecting a growing number of people and continues to perplex scientists searching for causes and cures.
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