Autism

In the U.K. and Australasia the term Autistic Spectrum is used to describe the range of presentations between Kanner’s autism and Asperger’s syndrome.  Although the two have strong similarities, there are also important characteristics that distinguish between them.

In other parts of the world autism and Asperger’s Disorder are seen in terms of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV), which places autism and Asperger Syndrome within a group of Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

Autism is characterised by:

Communication difficulties

• Impaired language development
• 50% will have no language
• Difficulties with pronouns, metaphor, pragmatics/semantics
• Repetitive, stereotyped or idiosyncratic language
• Echolalia, repeats same story, single topic, one-way conversations
• Inability to initiate or sustain conversation with others
• Lack of listening and turn-taking
   

Social Interaction problems

• Inability to develop appropriate peer relationships
• Inappropriate social behaviour
• Lack of social or emotional reciprocity
• Cannot manage the ‘give and take’ of relationships
• Impairment of nonverbal communication
• Unable to read gesture, facial expression, body posture
• Lack of sharing with others (& shared attention)
• Protoimperative / protodeclarative
   

Repetitive & Limited Behavioural Patterns

• Restricted, repetitive and stereotyped and all-encompassing activities
• May not understand that others do not share their interests
• Stereotyped and repetitive movements
• Rocking, flicking, twiddling etc.
• Inflexible adherence to routines and rituals
• Might become distressed or panic if usual order upset
• Moving on from one activity to another
• Can become stuck in an activity or behaviour, unable to stop (incipient catatonia)

Asperger’s syndrome

See also Pervasive Developmental Disorders