Autistic Spectrum Disorder


Autism and Asperger's syndrome belong to a group of conditions that can vary from very mild, where the person can function as well as anyone else around them, to so severe that they are unable to take part in normal society. Some children also have learning disabilities or other difficulties, making diagnosis difficult.

People with autism are usually more severely disabled, while those with Asperger's syndrome tend to be more able, although this isn’t always so. Because of the range of severity and symptoms, the conditions are collectively known as Autistic Spectrum Disorders. This is a relatively new term which recognises that there are a number of sub-groups within the spectrum of autism. 

People with autistic spectrum disorder have:
  • Difficulty with social interaction – not knowing what is socially appropriate, finding chatting or small talk difficult and not wanting to socialise very much
  • Problems with verbal and non-verbal communication such as understanding gestures, body language, facial expressions and tone of voice, making it difficult to empathise with the feelings of others
  • Imagination impairments such as not enjoying or reluctance to take part in role-play games
People with autistic spectrum disorders find it very difficult to develop friendships and relate to others. To people with these disorders the world can appear chaotic with no clear boundaries, order or meaning. Many are delayed in learning to speak and some never develop meaningful speech.

Some children find it difficult to understand the social behaviour of others. They are literal thinkers and fail to understand the social context. They can experience high levels of stress and anxiety in settings that don’t meet their needs or when routines are changed. This can lead to inappropriate behaviour. These behavioural difficulties can cause a great deal of stress for members of the family.

Some children with autistic spectrum disorders have a different perception of sounds, sights, smell, touch and taste and this affects their response to these sensations.  They may have unusual sleep and behaviour patterns.

Young children may not play with toys in a conventional and imaginative way but instead use toys rigidly or repetitively e.g. watching moving parts of machinery for long periods with intense concentration.  They find it hard to generalise skills and have difficulty adapting to new situations and often prefer routine.

The cause of autistic spectrum disorders is not yet clear. Genetics play an important role and researchers are examining a number of chromosome sites that could be implicated. It’s likely that autism occurs when a small number of genes interact in a specific way, possibly linked to some external event or factor. Brothers or sisters of a child with the condition are 75 times more likely to develop it.

Doctors’ ability to diagnose these disorders has improved in recent years, but older people, particularly with milder problems, may never have been diagnosed. When a child is diagnosed, parents often realise that they’ve had the same problems themselves. A variety of other environmental factors that affect brain development before, during or soon after birth, also play a part (possibly acting as a trigger)

Babies who develop autism later may appear normal at first and reach the usual developmental milestones but as they grow into toddlers, they may fail to develop normal social behaviour and speech may be lost.

As a child grows, the typical difficulties of autistic spectrum disorders are:
  • Repetitive behaviour and resistance to changes in routine
  • Obsessions with particular objects or routines
  • Difficulties with fine movement control
  • Absence of normal facial expression and body language
  • Tendency to spend time alone, with very few friends
  • Lack of imaginative play
  • Lack of eye contact
  • Poor co-ordination
Autistic children are sometimes found to have an exceptional skill, such as an aptitude for drawing, mathematics, or playing a musical instrument.

It’s estimated that more than 580,000 people in the UK have autistic spectrum disorders. Boys are more likely to be affected than girls, though research suggests that when girls have the condition they may be more severely affected.

There’s no specific test for autistic spectrum disorders. Diagnosis is based on a consideration of symptoms and milder cases may be missed.

There is no specific cure or particular medical treatment for those with autistic spectrum disorder but much can be done to maximise a child’s potential and this is key to managing the condition.

Appropriate specialist education, speech, language and behavioural therapy are all important.


The following pages look in detail at particular aspects of Special Educational Needs:

Important for all Special Educational Needs

Copyright © 2012 Best Primary Teaching Resources