Repetitive or unusual interests or behaviors The third area of difference for those on the autism spectrum is repetitive or unusual behaviors and interests. One way this may be seen is with obsessive interests that are unusual either in their intensity or in their focus. You might often see someone on the spectrum who has [...]
Language Delay or Lack of Spoken Language The second area of differences for those on the spectrum is that of communication and imagination. For some, there is a serious delay or total lack of development of spoken language, not compensated for with other efforts to communicate. Some children do not develop speech while others begin [...]
As I mentioned in the last post, a major theme of autism spectrum differences is the arena of socially relating to others. So in today’s post I would like to discuss what this difference may look like. Please keep in mind the “spectrum” part of autism spectrum disorders. That means that one person might have [...]
I will speak only briefly about the causes and prevalence of autism, since I am a clinician and not a scientist. We know there is a very strong genetic component to autism. That is the area that is most noticeable to me as a clinician and as a member of a family affected by ASDs. [...]
People often want to understand the terms of Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, or PDD.NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified). That last one should give us all a clue of how ridiculous some of these terms are. Diagnostic terms are just labels (dreamed up by someone) of behavior patterns that have been observed and studied, [...]
Another issue to consider when speaking to others about the diagnosis of a parent is whether that individual considers being on the autism spectrum to be a “disorder” or “disability” or just part of the normal range of differences in human thinking and behavior. One’s understanding of this will then lead to different kinds of [...]
When a child is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, it is not uncommon for parents to realize that they themselves have some autism spectrum traits. They may just unofficially acknowledge that they share some characteristics with their child, or they may choose to see a professional for a diagnostic work up. Either way, in [...]