What is an Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Three conditions that have similar symptoms but differ in terms of how severe they are and how they are expressed are sometimes called Autism Spectrum Disorders. There are different ways in which the hallmark characteristics of autism, most particularly within the social interaction area, are expressed. Many people do not exhibit all of the criteria for a diagnosis of autism but their characteristics are best described as fitting within the spectrum of autism.
Different people with autism can have very different symptoms. Health care providers think of autism as a “spectrum” disorder, a group of disorders with similar features. One person may have mild symptoms, while another may have serious symptoms. But they both have an autism spectrum disorder. Currently, the autism spectrum disorder category includes: • autistic disorder (also called “classic” autism) • Asperger syndrome • pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (or atypical autism) In some cases, health care providers use a broader term, pervasive developmental disorder, to describe autism. This category includes the autism spectrum disorders above, plus childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome. This article uses “autism spectrum disorder” and “autism” to mean the same thing. What are the symptoms of autism? The main signs and symptoms of autism involve problems in the following areas: • Communication: both verbal (spoken) and non-verbal (unspoken, such as
