Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects different people in different ways and means different things to different people.  The old saying, “no two blades of grass are the same” also applies to individuals with ASD. No two people diagnosed with ASD present with exactly the same symptoms, and thus no “one size fits all” treatment is effective for the learning, communicative, and social challenges associated with ASD.  

To Learn More about: Symptoms of ASD•Treatment of ASD• Clinical Definition of ASD

Symptoms of ASD

The following provides examples of how ASD symptoms may be present in an individual but is not meant to be an exhaustive list.  A more detailed and clinical description can be found below.

ASD affects an individual’s communicative and social abilities, although the severity of the impact on these areas is highly variable.  Examples of affected areas could include:

• Learning and using language (e.g., ability to talk, communicate, and maintain conversations with others) 
• Maintaining eye contact when being spoken to by another person 
• Relating to other’s emotions, feelings, and perspectives 
• Playing with toys or selecting leisure activities appropriately 
• Making or sustaining friendships 

Restrictive and/or repetitive interests are also typical of persons diagnosed with ASD.  Examples of these areas could include:

• Stereotypical behaviors (e.g., repeating phrases or words that may be out of context, lining up toys, hand flapping)
• A lack of flexibility (e.g., inability to easily adapt to changes in routines)
• Restricted interests (e.g., preoccupation with objects or parts of objects, only playing with one toy)
• Unusual sensory responses (e.g., indifference to pain, adverse reactions to varied textures, or loud sounds)

When symptoms are present, they can be persistent and often interfere with an individual’s ability to learn and/or relate to others.  For family members, caregivers, teachers, and other people in the community that interrupt these activities, behavior problems can often result (e.g., excessive tantrums, aggression, or self-injurious responses). 

If you are concerned about your child displaying some of these symptoms, then please consult with your pediatrician who can provide screening through use of developmental checklists or refer you to another specialist.  If you are needing a list of professionals who are able to assess your child for an ASD diagnosis, then please contact our office at (775) 448-6533.  We are able to provide treatment following a diagnosis, but we are unable to conduct any evaluations to determine if your child can be diagnosed with ASD.

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Treatment of ASD

Because ASD symptoms occur along a spectrum (from mild to severe), different symptoms present uniquely for individuals and may or may not impact quality of life.  Many people who are less affected by ASD may grow up to have meaningful relationships and find vocations and people who support their individual strengths.  Some persons or parents of a child affected by ASD may seek treatment for help to lessen some or all of the symptoms of ASD.  

Whether symptoms of ASD are severe or mild Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is an effective treatment. More information can be found by clicking What is ABA?

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Care and Compassion for Individuals Diagnosed with ASD

At ACBS, our vision of making meaningful differences in children’s lives shines in our service delivery and the way we provide treatment.  All children who receive our services are celebrated, regardless of where each lands on the spectrum.  Care, compassion, and understanding of ASD balanced with ethical and quality behavior analytic services drive our treatment practices as we strive to remediate symptoms of ASD.  We treat the symptoms of ASD by facilitating more socially appropriate alternatives to problematic behaviors, teaching our children to effectively express their wants and needs and advocate for themselves, and setting our clients up for success in their homes and educational, and community settings.

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A Clinical Definition

The American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) classifies ASD as:

1. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):
   • Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
   • Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
   • Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understand relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.
2. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):
   • Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypes, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).
   • Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat same food every day).
   • Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).
   • Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g. apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement).
3. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life).
4. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.
5. These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay. Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur; to make comorbid diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, social communication should be below that expected for general developmental level.

Note: Individuals with a well-established DSM-IV diagnosis of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified should be given the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Individuals who have marked deficits in social communication, but whose symptoms do not otherwise meet criteria for autism spectrum disorder, should be evaluated for social (pragmatic) communication disorder.

References

1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association; 2013.

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