What is Autism?

To start, the way autism is defined has been constantly shifting since the concept was first described. Until recently, there were a number of distinct conditions that were labelled separately, like Asperger's Syndrome. Autism is now viewed as a spectrum disorder, meaning that the single diagnosis covers all of the variations associated with it regardless of support needs.

In the North America, these conditions were all combined into the label of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V) in 2013. Much of the world uses the International Classification of Diseases released by the World Health Organization, which maintained separate definitions for conditions until the most recent version (ICD-11), effective as of 01/01/2022, though the prior version (ICD-10) is still primarily used. Now aligned, both definitions require a minimum number of deficiencies in the areas of social communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors be met for diagnosis.

Some common traits associated with autism are:

1. Communication Differences:

• Manner of speech, such as tone, timber, and timing

• Language use, such as accelerated or delayed learning progression

• Permanent or intermittent lack of vocal communication

• Lack of eye contact

• Aversion to touch

• Restricted emotional expression

2. Restricted Interests:

• Restricted food preferences (often labelled as "picky eaters")

• Extreme interest and focus on specific topics, such as fandoms, artists, or fields (often labelled as "nerdy")

• Lack of engagement when topics outside of specific interests are discussed

3. Repetitive Behaviors:

• Repeated sensory-seeking actions (for example, clicking a pen repeatedly for the sound or the feel of the click), commonly known as "stimming"

• Repetitive body movements, like rocking, hand flapping, spinning, or head banging

• Routine adherence (such as always eating at a specific time of day) and poor response to alterations or interruptions to the routine

• Ritualistic urges, like counting every crack in the sidewalk, touching every fence post, or needing to go through a process in a very specific series of steps not necessarily required to complete the task