What is Autism?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior.
ASD is typically characterized by the following with varying severity levels:
Deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple environments
Restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
Significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning
May or may not have accompanying intellectual disability
ASD occurs across all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Children at risk or suspected of having ASD are typically evaluated by a developmental pediatrician, child neurologists, and/or child psychologists. This disorder is deemed “developmental” because it is typically screened for and/or diagnosed between the ages of 9 months to 36 months, or later if concern warrants it.
Additional screening may be needed if the child is at risk for ASD (i.e. family relatives such as brother, sister, mother, father, etc). Girls or women with ASD may present differently than boys or men with ASD. For example, they may present with more internalizing characteristics, such as anxiety or depression or mask their symptoms entirely; whereas, men with ASD may present with more externalizing behaviors such as aggression, hyperactivity, or increased repetitive behaviors.