All people with autism have difficulty with social interactions and relationships. Parents often describe their child with autism as preferring to play alone and making little eye contact with other people. Other symptoms of autism include:
Difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication. Language development in children with autism is almost always delayed.
Limited, repetitive, and overused (stereotyped) patterns of behavior, interests, and play. Many typical behaviors—such as repetitive body rocking, unusual attachments to objects, and holding fast to routines and rituals—are driven by the need for sameness and resistance to change.
There is no “typical” person with autism. Although autism is defined by the above characteristics, people with autism can have many different combinations of behaviors in mild to severe forms.
