What Is Autism?

“Autism is not a processing error. It’s a different operating system.”

– Sarah Hendrickx, author

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental condition characterized by differences in the way people interact, communicate, and behave. The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) states that a diagnosis of ASD requires persistent differences in three areas of social communication and interaction:

1. Social-emotional reciprocity. This encompasses back-and-forth conversation; sharing of interests, emotions, and affect; and ability to initiate or respond to social interactions.
2. Nonverbal communication behaviors used for social interaction. This includes eye contact, facial expressions, and body language.
3. Developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships. This involves adjusting behavior to the context, sharing in imaginative play, making friends, and showing interest in peers.

Additionally, an ASD diagnosis requires the presence of at least two types of restricted, repetitive behaviors. These may include:

1. Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech.
2. Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior.
3. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus.
4. Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment.