children with Autism

I gave birth to six beautiful children and none of them had autism, however I always count my blessings because I know that odds are any one of my six children could have been born with autism. What is autism? I don't know very much about it but from what I hear it actually makes children who are exceptionally gifted and bright appear to be children with learning disabilities. This puzzles me because looking at these children they appear they same as any other, however the only difference I see is in regards to how they interact with others. What is being done to identify autistic children earlier on so that they can receive the proper care they need? What are some of the signs we should look for in autistic children...how can I be sure my child is not autistic? Is there a special program out there that will come into your home and test your child for autism? What happens if the tests prove that he is indeed autistic? What happens next.? As you can see, I have tons of questions. If anyone out there knows anything about autism and how to test your child for autism and how to get help if needed, please let me know. All comments welcome.