Autistic Disorder Traits

It is important to remember that people with autistic disorder are as different from one another as any two people in the general population.  While it is true that people with autistic disorder tend to have problems with communication, socialization, and behavior, these challenges are exhibited in a variety of ways and occur within the context of numerous strengths.  In addition, some individuals will also exhibit some additional characteristics associated with autism.  

Please keep in mind that the following symptoms are examples and not diagnostic criteria—not every person with autistic disorder will demonstrate every quality.  If you feel that your child exibits several of these symptoms, please contact your pediatrician or the Center for Autism.

Communication:

• Delayed speech development
• Difficulty with verbal expression of needs, thoughts, emotions
• Reliance on vague nonverbal gestures for self-expression
• Use of echolalia (repetitive speech) instead of functional speech
• Monotonous tone of voice; difficulty regulating loudness of speech
• Disrupted or limited eye contact
• Facial affect lacking or present, but inappropriate to the situation
• Difficulty understanding questions, comments, or instructions
• Limited ability to interpret nonverbal cues from others
• Inconsistent response to questions, comments, or instructions
• Appearance of hearing problems, even deafness, despite hearing tested within normal limits

Socialization:

• Preference for solitary or parallel (side by side) activity
• Difficulty and/or distress with group activity
• Interaction typically limited to getting needs met; limited initiation of purely social interaction
• Limited understanding of how to use social cues to facilitate an interaction
• Little inherent safety awareness or fear of danger
• Tendency to wander/run away from caregivers

Restricted Patterns of Thought/Behavior:

• Insistence on sameness, predictability
• Distress with changes in caregiver, routine, environment
• Persistent stereotypic or repetitive behavior (e.g.,body-rocking, spinning, hand-flapping)
• Odd ritualistic behaviors that seem compulsive
• Excessive attachment to objects, almost to the point of obsession
• Odd play style—preference for parts of objects and/or repetitive, non-functional activity

Strengths

• Ability to focus on detail
• Memory for facts, rules
• Relative ability to process visual (vs. verbal) information
• Capacity to learn, with appropriate teaching strategies
• Ability to perform learned routines independently
• General perseverance
• Ability to form strong relationships with care providers (e.g., parents, teachers, siblings)
• Capacity for experiencing emotions, such as fear, sadness, and joy
• Desire for enjoyable and/or soothing leisure activities
• Desire for participation in meaningful, worthwhile activities
• Desire for safe, comfortable, and familiar environments 

Associated Characteristics:

• Over- or under-sensitivity to pain
• Sensory processing problems—especially auditory, tactile, or proprioceptive and kinesthetic
• Tendency toward significant physical over- or under-activity
• Tendency toward over-focusing on preferred activities and/or general distractibility
• Delayed development of fine and gross motor skills
• Less coordinated or strong fine and gross motor skills
• Tantrums in response to anxiety, frustration