Autism is a complex neurological disorder that affects the way a person communicates, interacts, and behaves. It is characterized by atypical speech patterns and tone of voice, delayed development of speech skills, difficulty maintaining or responding to conversation, limited eye contact, limited response to social interaction, repetitive behavior and speech patterns, difficulty understanding other people's feelings and expressing their own. These challenges of social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors are the main signs of autism in children. A diagnosis of autism is made by evaluating behaviors associated with social communication challenges and repetitive or restrictive behaviors.
It is important to be aware of the most prevalent features of autism in order to get an accurate diagnosis sooner. One such feature is hypersensitivity, which when combined with other characteristics can be a leading indicator for a diagnosis of autism. People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) share many of the same characteristics and these can impact their ability to communicate, understand language, play and relate to others. In order for a diagnosis of autism to be made, the individual must demonstrate a deterioration in each of the three main characteristics: social skills, communication, and restrictive or repetitive behaviors.
Adrienne Golden discusses the characteristics of children with autism she works with and some of the early signs she looks for in the classroom. She presents three children who show many of the characteristics listed above and compares their behavior with that of three children without ASD. It is important for those involved in working with people with ASD to have basic information about these characteristics and how they affect learning. While people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are unique like anyone else, there are some common global characteristics within the population.
These characteristics are similar to those of autism but may not be as severe, causing the person to fail to meet the full criteria for autism.
