This section contains some of the terms you may hear and read about Autism and Autistic Spectrum Disorders. It is not intended to give you a detailed understanding of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Autistic Spectrum Disorder:
Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Semantic Pragmatic Disorder and autistic traits are some of the terms that may be used to describe a person who has an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a complex developmental disorder affecting the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. People with ASD have difficulties with social interaction, communication and imagination (known as the Triad of Impairments). There is a wide range of cognitive ability.
Asperger Syndrome:
This diagnosis is often given when people have average or above average intelligence and frequently they have less difficulty with language, although their language can sound formal or stilted and they are not flexible with their use of it according to context. While wishing to be sociable, they often find it difficult to understand the social behaviours of others and to adjust their own appropriately, they may appear eccentric. Frequently they may have an absorbing interest in unusual topics.
Able Autism:
May appear very similar to those with Asperger Syndrome but have little desire to be sociable.
Autistic Continuum:
This term is often used as an alternative to Autistic Spectrum.
Autistic Savant:
A few people with ASD show very special talents, such as detailed drawing, calendar skills and musical ability are amongst those more frequently occurring.
Autistic tendencies or traits:
The term is occasionally used when the full criteria of behaviour seen does not meet the criteria for ASD.
Atypical Autism:
The term used for a person who has difficulties in one or two of the Triad of Impairments, but not in all three.
Echolalia (echo speech):
Many children with ASD learn to use language in an echolalic manner that is, they copy or quote speech they have heard, but do not always understand the meaning, or adapt it to context. Echolalia can be immediate or delayed. Frequently this reduces as the child grows older, regression to the use of echolalia can often indicate that the child is having difficulty in understanding what is said to him or is becoming anxious.
Kanner's syndrome:
Kanner was the first person to describe autism in America, and studied a group of people who were quite disabled. This term is now usually used to describe children at the more severe and less able end of the spectrum.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD):
This is a term used in the UK and USA to describe Autism and other conditions which are similar. PDD-NOS (Not Otherwise Sepecified) is a diagnosis sometimes used to describe children who have pervasive developmental difficulties but do not meet the criteria for a specific disorder.
Pragmatic:
This refers to the ability to adapt language and behaviours appropriately according to the context and demands of a situation. Pragmatic Language Impairment: When we talk the messages we seek to give are formed by a combination of words, intonation, facial expression, body language and context. Receiving and interpreting this combination of signals and sending signals in a similar way is usually difficult for people with ASD. Semantic: This relates to the meanings of words and phrases.
Semantic-Pragmatic Disorder:
This diagnosis is used when children or adults may show less generalised learning difficulties, and may speak fluently, but have difficulty in understanding and using language appropriately in a social context and often have very literal interpretation of other’s language. SEN: Special Educational Needs.
Triad of Impairments:
Children and adults need to show difficulties in each of three areas to be diagnosed as having an ASD. These areas are:
- Reciprocal social interaction
- Social communication
- Restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests and activities.
Behaviours seen in each of these areas are considered in relation to the child’s developmental age not their chronological age.
