Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), usually referred to as autism, constitutes a diverse group of neurodevelopmental conditions found in people all over the world, regardless of their race, culture, and ethnicity. Every child with ASD is unique, with some showing symptoms within the first twelve months of their life, while others may not show signs until they’re 24 months or older.
Autism
Although each autistic person has a unique pattern of behavior and level of severity, certain common characteristics are evident within the population. However, these characteristics present differently from individual to individual.
What Is Autism?
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Before we discuss the main characteristics of autistic individuals, let’s unpack the definition of autism. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by speech, non-verbal communication, social skills, and repetitive behavior, which can sometimes present major challenges. Symptoms of the disorder manifest during early childhood, with some children showing symptoms earlier than others.
Autism is a spectrum disorder, making each affected individual unique. People on the spectrum learn and think differently and possess different problem-solving abilities, ranging from highly skilled to severely challenged. The disorder progresses gradually, worsening the individual’s communication and social skills.
According to the ABA Center Autism is a naturally occurring neurological variation, not a disease to be cured. Although there’s no cure for autism, there are many support options for autistic people to manage the disorder, such as behavioral, psychological, and educational therapy.
What Are the Three Main Characteristics of Autism?
Although autistic individuals show many symptoms, three main characteristics are necessary for an Autism diagnosis.
Impaired Communication
People communicate with each other by sending messages from one person to the other. Communication can be verbal or non-verbal, and an interaction occurs when two people respond to one another. Some people on the spectrum have perfectly normal speech development patterns. However, most autistic people experience difficulty communicating both verbally and non-verbally.
Some of the signs reflecting impaired communication related to ASD include:
- Avoiding or not maintaining eye contact
- Failing to respond to their name or appearing not to hear sometimes
- Being unable to start a conversation, having trouble maintaining one, or only starting one when in need of something
- Speaking with an abnormal tone or rhythm
- Sharing no interests with others
- Not showing facial expressions like anger, happiness, and sadness
- Not noticing when others are hurt or upset
- Appearing not to understand simple questions and directions
- Having delayed speech, not speaking, or losing the ability to say previously known words or sentences
- Meaninglessly repeating words or phrases spoken by another person
- Having difficulty recognizing and interpreting non-verbal cues, such as gestures and body language.
Impaired Social Interactions
Autism has many symptoms and characteristics, the most striking being social disconnection. Social interaction plays a vital role in learning, as it is effective in assisting people in organizing their thoughts, finding gaps in their reasoning, and reflecting on their understanding.
Allistic (non-autistic) children are able to establish social relationships with their caregivers. In contrast, children on the spectrum tend not to look at their caregivers nor seem interested in creating shared experiences.
Some of the signs reflecting impaired social interactions related to ASD include:
- Avoiding and resisting holding and cuddling
- Not noticing other children and having little interest in playing with them
- Not pointing at or bringing objects to share interest
- Having little interest or engagement with peers and caregivers
- Finding it difficult to initiate and maintain friendships, engage in imaginative play, or participate in group activities
- Finding social interactions that involve sharing or taking turns is quite challenging.
Restricted Repetitive Behavior and Stereotypy
The third main characteristic of autism is restricted repetitive behavior (RRB) and stereotyped behaviors. Individuals on the spectrum may show repetitive motor movements or speech. Such behavior can be problematic, especially when it interferes with engaging in other activities and affects social relationships.
Some of the signs reflecting RRB related to ASD include:
- Lining up items in a specific order and getting upset when the order is changed
- Echolalia (meaninglessly repeating words spoken by another person)
- Performing repetitive movements such as body rocking and hand flapping
- Becoming upset or aggressive when stopped from engaging in repetitive behavior or when there’s a change in routine
- Experiencing coordination difficulties or having odd movement patterns
- Exhibiting rigid thinking patterns
- Performing self-harming activities, such as head-banging
- Having hypo- or hypersensitivity to sensory input, such as smells, tastes, and sounds.
Other Characteristics of Autism
Besides the above three core features of ASD, other related characteristics in autistic people may include:
Delayed language skills: Autistic children may develop language skills at a delayed pace and often have difficulty understanding and using non-verbal communication, such as through eye contact and hand gestures.
Attentional impairments: Generally, children have a shorter attention span than adults. However, some autistic children tend to have a shorter attention span. Some may also show overly focused and narrow attention.
Delayed cognitive or learning skills: Autistic children often experience developmental delays and difficulties with cognitive skills related to understanding, analyzing, evaluating, and differentiating between objects.
Unusual eating and sleeping habits: Sometimes, children display reluctance to eat certain foods and may have difficulty sleeping. However, autistic kids may exhibit this more than neurotypical kids.
Lack of fear or a heightened fear: Children on the spectrum may show less fear when confronted with something scary than neurotypical kids. They may also have intense and irrational fears of specific things.
Lack of environmental or self-awareness: Autistic individuals may have limited awareness of their environment and themselves. Consequently, children with ASD may require more attention in safety situations.
Unusual mood or emotional reactions: Individuals with ASD may often show anxiety, irritability, aggression, and impulsivity.
What Are the Causes and Risk Factors of Autism?
Experts believe autism results from several genetic and environmental factors. Some suspected risk factors for Autism include:
- Certain genetic mutations
- Family history of ASD
- Fragile X syndrome and other genetic disorders
- Being born to older parents
- Exposure to heavy metals during pregnancy
- Low birth weight and Intrauterine Growth Restriction
- Maternal autoimmune conditions
How Can Autism Be Supported?
Once an individual exhibiting the characteristics of Autism has been correctly diagnosed, they can be treated depending on their symptoms. Each autistic individual is unique, and there is no standard treatment for the disorder. However, there are several ways to minimize the symptoms and maximize the abilities of the affected individual to function, develop, and learn.
With appropriate therapies and interventions, people on the spectrum can use all their skills and abilities. Various therapies can be deployed early in a child’s life, and the sooner they are implemented, the more effective they are.
ABA therapy is the most commonly used therapy for children with autism, as it addresses topics like effective communication, cognitive abilities, interpersonal and safety skills, skill imitation, and self-regulation. It also enhances good behavior using positive reinforcement techniques.
Conclusion
Decades ago, autism was a relatively unknown and undiagnosed condition. Autistic people were made to feel like something was wrong with them because their brains work differently than allistic people. However, we now know the signs and symptoms and how to best help and support autistic people to be happy, productive, and fulfilled members of society.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Basics About Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | NCBDDD | CDC. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
National Autistic Society. (2023). Understanding and developing communication. Retrieved September 12, 2023, from https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/communication/understanding-and-developing-communication
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