Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less.

People with autism spectrum disorder often have difficulties with communication, and connecting emotionally and socially with others. They may also process sensory information, such as sounds and smells, differently from other people. Autism can be diagnosed by age two, though symptoms may be apparent much earlier.

Common signs of autism include:

• Avoiding eye contact
• Delayed speech and communication skills
• Reliance on rules and routines
• Being upset by relatively minor changes
• Unexpected reactions to sounds, tastes, sights, touch
and smells
• Difficulty understanding other people’s emotions
• Focusing on or becoming obsessed by a narrow range
of interests or objects
• Engaging in repetitive behavior such as flapping hands
or rocking