Characteristics Autism

1 characteristics

1.1 social development
1.2 communication
1.3 repetitive behavior
1.4 other symptoms

characteristics


autism spectrum disorder video

autism highly variable neurodevelopmental disorder first appears during infancy or childhood, , follows steady course without remission. people autism may severely impaired in respects normal, or superior, in others. overt symptoms gradually begin after age of 6 months, become established age 2 or 3 years, , tend continue through adulthood, although in more muted form. distinguished not single symptom, characteristic triad of symptoms: impairments in social interaction; impairments in communication; , restricted interests , repetitive behavior. other aspects, such atypical eating, common not essential diagnosis. autism s individual symptoms occur in general population , appear not associate highly, without sharp line separating pathologically severe common traits.

social development

social deficits distinguish autism , related autism spectrum disorders (asd; see classification) other developmental disorders. people autism have social impairments , lack intuition others many people take granted. noted autistic temple grandin described inability understand social communication of neurotypicals, or people normal neural development, leaving feeling anthropologist on mars .

unusual social development becomes apparent in childhood. autistic infants show less attention social stimuli, smile , @ others less often, , respond less own name. autistic toddlers differ more strikingly social norms; example, have less eye contact , turn-taking, , not have ability use simple movements express themselves, such pointing @ things. three- five-year-old children autism less exhibit social understanding, approach others spontaneously, imitate , respond emotions, communicate nonverbally, , take turns others. however, form attachments primary caregivers. children autism display moderately less attachment security neurotypical children, although difference disappears in children higher mental development or less severe asd. older children , adults asd perform worse on tests of face , emotion recognition although may partly due lower ability define person s own emotions.

children high-functioning autism suffer more intense , frequent loneliness compared non-autistic peers, despite common belief children autism prefer alone. making , maintaining friendships proves difficult autism. them, quality of friendships, not number of friends, predicts how lonely feel. functional friendships, such resulting in invitations parties, may affect quality of life more deeply.

there many anecdotal reports, few systematic studies, of aggression , violence in individuals asd. limited data suggest that, in children intellectual disability, autism associated aggression, destruction of property, , tantrums.

communication

about third half of individuals autism not develop enough natural speech meet daily communication needs. differences in communication may present first year of life, , may include delayed onset of babbling, unusual gestures, diminished responsiveness, , vocal patterns not synchronized caregiver. in second , third years, children autism have less frequent , less diverse babbling, consonants, words, , word combinations; gestures less integrated words. children autism less make requests or share experiences, , more repeat others words (echolalia) or reverse pronouns. joint attention seems necessary functional speech, , deficits in joint attention seem distinguish infants asd: example, may @ pointing hand instead of pointed-at object, , consistently fail point @ objects in order comment on or share experience. children autism may have difficulty imaginative play , developing symbols language.

in pair of studies, high-functioning children autism aged 8–15 performed equally as, , adults better than, individually matched controls @ basic language tasks involving vocabulary , spelling. both autistic groups performed worse controls @ complex language tasks such figurative language, comprehension , inference. people sized basic language skills, these studies suggest people speaking autistic individuals more overestimate audience comprehends.

repetitive behavior

a young boy autism has arranged toys in row

autistic individuals can display many forms of repetitive or restricted behavior, repetitive behavior scale-revised (rbs-r) categorizes follows.

stereotyped behaviors: repetitive movements, such hand flapping, head rolling, or body rocking.
compulsive behaviors: time-consuming behaviors intended reduce anxiety individual feels compelled perform repeatedly or according rigid rules, such placing objects in specific order, checking things, or hand washing.
sameness: resistance change; example, insisting furniture not moved or refusing interrupted.
ritualistic behavior: unvarying pattern of daily activities, such unchanging menu or dressing ritual. closely associated sameness , independent validation has suggested combining 2 factors.
restricted interests: interests or fixations abnormal in theme or intensity of focus, such preoccupation single television program, toy, or game.
self-injury: behaviors such eye-poking, skin-picking, hand-biting , head-banging.

no single repetitive or self-injurious behavior seems specific autism, autism appears have elevated pattern of occurrence , severity of these behaviors.

other symptoms

autistic individuals may have symptoms independent of diagnosis, can affect individual or family. estimated 0.5% 10% of individuals asd show unusual abilities, ranging splinter skills such memorization of trivia extraordinarily rare talents of prodigious autistic savants. many individuals asd show superior skills in perception , attention, relative general population. sensory abnormalities found in on 90% of autism, , considered core features some, although there no evidence sensory symptoms differentiate autism other developmental disorders. differences greater under-responsivity (for example, walking things) over-responsivity (for example, distress loud noises) or sensation seeking (for example, rhythmic movements). estimated 60%–80% of autistic people have motor signs include poor muscle tone, poor motor planning, , toe walking; deficits in motor coordination pervasive across asd , greater in autism proper.

unusual eating behavior occurs in three-quarters of children asd, extent formerly diagnostic indicator. selectivity common problem, although eating rituals , food refusal occur; not appear result in malnutrition. although children autism have gastrointestinal symptoms, there lack of published rigorous data support theory children autism have more or different gastrointestinal symptoms usual; studies report conflicting results, , relationship between gastrointestinal problems , asd unclear.

parents of children asd have higher levels of stress. siblings of children asd report greater admiration of , less conflict affected sibling siblings of unaffected children , similar siblings of children down syndrome in these aspects of sibling relationship. however, reported lower levels of closeness , intimacy siblings of children down syndrome; siblings of individuals asd have greater risk of negative well-being , poorer sibling relationships adults.