Autism Spectrum Disorders are neurodevelopmental disorders of unknown origin where symptoms unfold over the first few years of life:
- Impairments in SOCIALIZATION:
- mutual gaze
- joint attention
- topic sharing
- theory of mind
- social intuition
- literal and concrete thinking
- Impairments in COMMUNICATION
- low frequency of communication
- stereotypical/idiosyncratic use of language (e.g. echolalia, which is the automatic repetition of vocalizations made by another person, scripting)
- limited goals of communication
- paucity of conventional and descriptive gestures (nonverbal communication)
- Use of other's body to communicate (hand over hand)
- Development of restrictive INTERESTS, REPETITIVE and PERSEVERATIVE behaviors, and NEED FOR SAMENESS.
Autism Spectrum Disorder varies in severity and symptoms. For this reason, it can go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected children. Some early indicators which might warrant evaluation by an expert include:
- no babbling or pointing by age 1
- no single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2
- no response to name
- loss of language or social skills
- poor eye contact
- excessive lining up of toys or objects
- no smiling or social responsiveness.
Later indicators include:
- impaired ability to make friends with peers
- impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
- absence or impairment of imaginative and social play
- stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language
- restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus
- preoccupation with certain objects or subjects
- inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals.
ASD characteristics in school settings
Cognitive/Language
- Challenges with executive functioning including organization, initiation and prioritizing
- Attention to detail rather than perceiving and understanding the big picture
- Normal to gifted levels of intelligences
- Good verbal skills
- Turn any conversation back to oneself or own topic of interest
- Has difficulty initiating and sustaining conversation
- Difficulty with writing assignments
- View the world as very black and white, with limited areas of gray
- Tends not to learn from consequences or mistakes
- Over focuses or even obsesses about certain topics
Motor Coordination
- May appear clumsy and have difficulty with motor planning
- Difficulty with fine motor skills which impacts hand writing
Social, Emotional, Behavioral
- Rule Bound
- Brutally honest, and speaks his/her mind, unaware that the truth might hurt people's feelings
- Trouble reading others' body language
- Theory of Mind (trouble understanding what someone else is thinking and feeling)
- Impairment in social maturity
- Lack of empathy
- Trouble working in groups
- Difficulty with regulating behavior as a result of frustration, confusion, sensory overload
