Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts social communication and behavior. An important thing to remember is Autism is a spectral condition, meaning each individual may present with varying symptoms and severities of autism (i.e., very mild to severe).

It is a cover-all term now used for conditions that were previously known as:

  • Asperger’s syndrome

  • Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

  • Autistic Disorder

 
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Common symptoms include:

  • Lack of eye contact

  • Lack of or atypical response to name

  • Developmental milestone delays

  • Trouble initiating and maintaining a conversation

  • Difficulty using gestures or understanding jokes/sarcasm

  • Repetitive behavior that appears purposeless

  • Sensory seeking or sensory sensitivities

  • Restrictive interests of an item (i.e., pencils), character (i.e., Cartoon character), genre (i.e., Superhero’s).

A comprehensive evaluation can:

  • establish a diagnosis, if appropriate

  • assess the degree of severity

  • provide individual recommendations for treatment