Characteristics of autism

When they are born, most babies seem ready to become sociable and develop communication skills. Young children just seem to know that other people are important to turn to for comfort, to share moments of pleasure with, to look to for guidance and to learn from. Children with ASD find this all very difficult; it doesn’t come naturally to them. They may seem less interested in people. They find it hard to see things from another person’s point of view. They can seem trapped in a world of their own. Some may like being sociable and tactile but don’t seem to understand how to do these things. A young child with ASD can’t make sense of people, and may find them frighteningly unpredictable. They may:

• Seem to relate better to objects than people.
• Prefers doing activities on their own.
• May relate better to adults than other children.
• Only be receptive to approaches from people they know well.
• Not wanting to be comforted if upset or hurt.
• Get something out of their own reach, may not see other people as 'people' but as objects.
• Have a poor understanding of social rules and conventions eg. games and friendships.
• May find it hard to work out what other people are going to do, and cannot make sense of why other people do what they do, they are unable to see someone else's perspective or point of view.

Children with ASDs may not be eager to communicate. They may not develop skills that other children learn naturally and are not tuned into communication in the same way. They find it very hard to make sense of the things that happen around them. Words may mean very little to them and they may be unable to link what they see with the things being said to them. Children with ASD not only have difficulty making sense of words but also with reading non-verbal messages in facial expressions and gestures. This makes it difficult for them to learn what is expected of them, and to recognise when someone is happy or upset and realise what that means for them.

A child with ASD may:

• develop speech in a way that is slow (delayed), or disordered (an unusual pattern of speech development)
• not develop speech at all
• often use words out of context and without trying to communicate
• develop the ability to say words before understanding them
• echo (repeat) words other people say straight away, or later (this is sometimes called echolalia)
• use words and then ‘lose’ them (not use them again) - this is part of a disordered or unusual pattern of language development
• not respond when spoken to
• talk at, rather than to other people
• not use eye contact as a natural part of communication, or not use it in the usual way, for example, intense eye contact, eye contact that isn’t coordinated well with other parts of communication such as facial expression and speech
• not appreciate the need to communicate information to others
• have a poor grasp of abstract concepts and feelings
• rarely understand or use gestures
• not use pointing
• communicate to indicate needs rather than share an experience
• show little desire to communicate socially (just to chat or be friendly, rather than because they want or need something)

Imagination

Imagination helps us understand the world, to predict and see the perspective of other people. Children with ASD are unable to do this in a typical way. When pretend play begins to appear in children who don’t have ASD, it’s a sign that imagination is beginning to develop. In children with ASD this process can occur slowly, in limited or unusual ways, or not at all.

Problems of imagination show themselves in different ways. Some children never seem interested in what a toy is or what it represents. They may focus on the features of the toy such as the wheels of the car or the box the toy came in. Other children may run the toy car in and out of a garage, but don’t act out more complex stories. Some children seem to act out stories or take on particular characters, but the story turns out to be an imitation of a video or book and is always the same. This doesn’t mean that children with autistic spectrum disorders don’t have any imagination, it just means they tend to have less ability in this area and they tend to be less able to share their imaginative ideas than other people. Some children with ASD have a vivid imaginary life but aren’t able to share this with others clearly or communicate that they know what is real and what is imaginary.

Some children with ASD learn to talk easily, but find it hard to understand communication that is not literal. Expressions like ‘I laughed so much I nearly died’, or ‘if you eat any more you’ll burst’, can be very confusing for them. They may have difficulties understanding that a phrase or story is not real.

Routines

Repetitive behaviours and routines are a common feature of ASD. Children with ASD find reassurance in routines and patterns that they can control.

A child with ASD:

• may not easily make sense of sequences and events

• may become distressed if a familiar routine changes

• may impose routines on others
• will often engage in stereotypical body movements (for example, some children will flap their hands, some may rock back and forth, some may tap or flick their fingers)
• will often resist new experiences, for example trying different foods or wearing new clothes, going to new places
• may not be able to deviate from one way of doing things
• may be tolerant of situations and then over-react to something minor
• may only develop symbolic play slowly - if at all (symbolic play is play which involves pretending things are something else using imagination)
• may often pay particular attention to unusual details and struggle to see the bigger picture
• can develop extreme behaviours to avoid some things or experiences
• may not easily move from one activity to another (transitions)

The terms repetitive behaviour and unusual movements (motor mannerisms) are used to describe specific types of unusual or seemingly odd behaviours that are often seen in children with autism. Repetitive behaviours are sometimes referred to as self-stimulating behaviour or ‘stimming’.

Examples of this include:

• hand flapping
• rocking
• head banging
• spinning
• pacing
• tip toe walking
• other unusual body movements
• lining up or ordering objects
• flicking switches repetitively
• opening and closing doors

Some repetitive behaviour are very obvious while others are more subtle and hard to detect such as blinking or eye rolling, tapping fingers and mild hair twisting. We all engage in some of these behaviours occasionally, especially when we are stressed. However, your child may engage in these activities excessively to the point that they interfere with learning or daily living activities.

Why repetitive behaviour?

It’s not completely clear why repetitive behaviour almost always goes with autism, but it could be that repetitive behaviour is a way of bringing predictability to an otherwise unpredictable world. Some of the reasons children adopt repetitive behaviour include:

• self-regulation, which helps the child become calm and overcome situations of stress or upset
• demonstrating excitement
• providing the child with an escape route when they are overworked or wound up
• making the child happy, as some children find the behaviour pleasurable
• getting a sensory experience
• provoking a reaction from others, which reinforces the behaviour
• avoiding a task or activity

Some children learn to monitor their behaviours so they can engage in them in ‘safe’ environments (at home rather than at school or out in the community).

No matter what repetitive behaviour your child engages in, you need to understand this is something that they often need to do in order to find comfort, familiarity, a sense of control, or enjoyment. The repetitive behaviour is extremely unlikely to be harming your child. Rather than trying to stop their repetitive behaviour you could allow it to happen within reasonable limits.

“My son taps repetitively on every surface. On the basis of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ we got him a drum kit. If he gets cross, angry or frustrated he goes and plays drums which helps him calm down and he is a grade six drummer now which gives him something to be proud of.” (Parent)

All children have favourite things, games, films, toys but most children can be distracted from these or engaged in another activity without too much fuss. Also most children like interaction with other people in order to get the most enjoyment from their activities.

However, some children with ASD seem to develop interests in a way that makes it seem as though they are obsessed. These interests are usually referred to as ‘special interests’ and to a child with ASD they might be the most important thing in their life. Some children with ASD develop interests that do not involve anyone else, where they can retreat into their own little world for hours and hours, whereas others might want to talk non-stop about their interest, which in turn makes it difficult for them to develop friendships.

These interests are different to repetitive behaviours but some of the reasons for the special interest can overlap, such as:

• reducing anxiety
• maintaining a sense of calm
• making them happy
• a way of avoiding another task or activity

To others some of the interests of children with ASD may appear utterly pointless or mind numbingly boring but the child will be experiencing something completely unique to them.

Special interests can be anything from common childhood interests to an unusual degree and intensity, to the weird to wonderful. Some of the more common examples of special interests in children might include:

• computer gaming
• maps and routes
• animals
• counting or the alphabet
• dinosaurs
• cartoon characters
• Thomas the tank engine
• types of cars, vehicles
• collecting sets of particular toys

As with repetitive behaviours children can become engaged in their special interest if they are feeling anxious or scared, but the reality is that they have an uncontrollable desire to involve themselves in these things because their interest is real and their enjoyment and satisfaction is real.

Children with ASD will normally have one special interest at a time, but they often change as the child develops and experiences more things. Special interests can interfere with learning or daily living activities but they can also be used to motivate and engage with your child.

Some of the most famous autistic people have developed successful careers from their special interest. For example, Chris Packham (wildlife) and Temple Grandin (horses).