Autism is a condition which affects behavior, social interactions, communication and sensory sensitivities.
Behavioral Aspect
People with autism may have unusual behavior because of their difficulties in responding to their environment. Some behavior problems are the result of their sensory sensitivities to sound or something they seen or felt. Usually people in autism spectrum may have rigidly sticking to routines and spent time in repetitive behaviors to minimize uncertainty and maintain the predictability of their environment.
Behaviors may include the following characteristics:
- Repetitive use of objects like repeatedly lining up toys and switching lights on and off
- Unusual interest to sniffing objects or staring at moving objects
- Sticking to routines such as travelling the same time at the same route home each day and doing same thing
- Repetitive body movements such as rocking to chair, hand flapping or spinning
- Sensory problems such as avoidance of sounds and textures
Social Interaction
Other characteristic of people with autism is having difficulty in terms of social interaction that is why they have hard time maintaining relationships. They are not responding to non-verbal forms of communication such as facial expression, physical gestures and eye contact. They do not know how to express their needs and other way around, they do not understand the needs of others.
Here are some signs of social interaction difficulties:
- No or limited use of non-verbal gestures like facial expression, eye gaze and gestures
- Problems with social and emotional responsiveness
- Absence of seeking enjoyment, interest and activities with other people
- Problems with forming and maintaining friendship
Communication Skills
Communication difficulties is very challenging to people with autism. Some people with autism may speak fluently but other may have speech impairment to varying degrees and others may not be able to talk at all.
The following are some communication problems:
- Echolalia or repetitive use of language as other person speak or phrases from TV
- Problems initiating and sustaining conversation
- Delayed language development