What Is Autism?

Published December 31, 2008 @ 01:38PM PT

Autism is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disability, typically referring to any one of the following categories from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Autistic Disorder

Asperger's Disorder

Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified

Rett's Syndrome

Heller's Syndrome (a.k.a. Childhood Degenerative Disorder)

Both children and adults of all ages may have an autism diagnosis. Autism occurs in all countries in the world, and is not a new disability. Autism may be more common than previously thought, with the CDC currently estimating that 1 in 150 children have an autism spectrum diagnosis. This means you have probably met at least one person on the autistic spectrum, even if you didn't know it.

While all individuals labeled with an autism spectrum diagnosis (one of the above 5 categories) are as unique as any other human beings, they share some characteristics typical of autism in common.

Different sensory experiences. For example, heightened sensitivity to light, difficulty interpreting internal physical sensations, hearing loud sounds as soft and soft sounds as loud, or synesthesia.

Non-standard ways of learning and approaching problem solving. For example, learning "difficult" tasks (e.g. calculus) before "simple" tasks (e.g. addition), difficulty with "executive functions," or being simultaneously gifted at tasks requiring fluid intelligence and intellectually disabled at tasks requiring verbal skills.

Deeply focused thinking and passionate interests in specific subjects. "Narrow but deep," these "special interests" could be anything from mathematics to ballet, from doorknobs to physics, and from politics to bits of shiny paper.

Atypical, sometimes repetitive, movement. This includes "stereotyped" and "self-stimulatory" behavior such as rocking or flapping, and also the difficulties with motor skills and motor planning associated with apraxia or dyspraxia.

Need for consistency, routine, and order. For example, holidays may be experienced more with anxiety than pleasure, as they mean time off from school and the disruption of the usual order of things. People on the autistic spectrum may take great pleasure in organizing and arranging items.

line of 6 egg shaped stones: from left to right, violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, red

Arrangement by Dora

arranged vertically top to bottom: a black clip, a user manual for audio head phones, a pouch for holding the audio head phones, the audio head phones themselves

Arrangement by Charlie

Difficulties in understanding and expressing language as used in typical communication, both verbal and non-verbal. This may manifest similarly to semantic-pragmatic language disorder. It's often because a young child does not seem to be developing language that a parent first seeks to have a child evaluated. As adults, people with an autism spectrum diagnosis often continue struggle to use language to explain their emotions and internal state, and to articulate concepts (which is not to say they do not experience and understand these).

Difficulties in understanding and expressing typical social interaction. For example, preferring parallel interaction, having delayed responses to social stimulus, or behaving in an "inappropriate" manner to the norms of a given social context (for example, not saying "hi" immediately after another person says "hi").

Autism is diagnosed based on observation by a diagnostician or team of diagnosticians (e.g. neuropsychologist, psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed clinical social worker, etc.).

For more information:

Overview of Autism from the CDC

What's autism anyway? from Michelle Dawson

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Comments (14)

An extremely well put together analysis. Great work, Dora and Kristina! I have every faith that you are going to be a great resource for the autistic and autism communities and a great part of the broader change.org community.

Posted by Ari Ne'eman on 12/31/2008 @ 10:55PM PT
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I'm so excited to see the two of you as bloggers, and I think this blog post is spot on. I could send in a thousand pictures like the ones you've posted. Congratulations to you both!

E

Posted by Emily Willingham on 01/02/2009 @ 06:50AM PT
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Excellent job! I am so excited that change.org has such a wonderful team of autism bloggers. This blog is my new homepage, and I look forward to reading your posts for a long time to come.

All the best, Ellen Nee

Posted by Ellen Claire Nee on 01/03/2009 @ 04:24AM PT
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I just printed out this blog entry and links, which I plan to more carefully read and then post a longer comment.

Arthur Golden of Jerusalem Israel

Posted by Arthur Golden on 01/03/2009 @ 10:35AM PT
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Questions about possible omissions or lack of emphasis in the blog entry "What is Autism?"

A. The more I explore the subject of "What is Autism?" I come up with many more questions than answers. While I think your blog entry is a very good attempt to try to answer the question "What is Autism?" I do think that it is proper for me to comment with some of my questions.

B. At the end of your blog entry, you list two references "For more information." The first is to a CDC webpage that starts with a very short statement that happens to be "What is Autism?" and in the last sentence of the first of two paragraphs states "An ASD begins before the age of 3..." with ASD being the abbreviation for Autism Spectrum Disorder. I question the omission in your much longer statement about this information that an ASD starts before the age of 3 (and also its omission in the second reference "for more information") because of a serious question I have about the diagnosis of adults with ASD, which I will explain below in section C. I do not know if this possible omission of information that I believe may be extremely important is intentional or not, but I am concerned that all my questions about possible omissions or lack of emphasis in the blog entry "What is Autism?" seem to be one-sided. Please note that I am just as concerned that questions I might have about possible omissions or lack of emphasis of information from certain parent-run organizations such as Autism Speak seem to be even more one-sided, in the opposite direction. However, I believe that when discussing issues such as "What is Autism?" a more balanced approach would be best, especially since it could result in a very dangerous situation for some individuals.

C. In the links you give to define the five categories of ASDs, I noticed in 3 of the categories a caveat about Schizophrenia that I never noticed before. Again, I have questions about the possible omission or lack of emphasis of this information in your blog entry (even though you did provide a link to this information) and both references for more information (although the links are from the website of the first reference). Although my own son Ben was not diagnosed until he just turned 5 in early 1977 (under the old much narrower definition of autism) by Peter B. Rosenberger M.D. pediatric neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, his developmental history before age 3 was still fresh information and met the criteria without question. What I question are self-diagnosis by adults under the much broader definition of DSM-IV since the early 1990s or even by psychologists (but not psychiatrists) under the 3 out of 5 categories that contain the following caveats about Schizophrenia:

Diagnostic Criteria for 299.80 Asperger's Disorder:

"Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia."

299.80 Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (Including Atypical Autism):

"...criteria are not met for a specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, or Avoidant Personality Disorder."

Diagnostic Criteria for 299.10 Childhood Disintegrative Disorder:

"The disturbance is not better accounted for by another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or by Schizophrenia."

D. Concerning the differential diagnosis between ASD and Schizophrenia, I realize that I am not a psychiatrist, psychologist or neurologist, but I have extensive experience of being involved with both adults with a diagnosis of ASD and adults with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia and as adults I find many of them cannot be differentiated by me. While a diagnosis of ASD might be more socially acceptable than a diagnosis of the mental illness of Schizophrenia, there are proven medicines for treating Schizophrenia and it might be very dangerous for an individual to believe they have an ASD when they really have Schizophrenia. Until very recently, I did not believe that it really mattered so much but there is some very recent biological theories which seems to me to have a solid foundation in scientific research about the differences, found in:

http://www.sfu.ca/biology/faculty/crespi/pdfs/115-Crespi&Badcock2008.pdf"
Psychosis and Autism as Diametrical Disorders of the Social Brain"
by Bernard Crespi and Christopher Badcock
BEHAVIORAL AND BRAIN SCIENCES (2008) 31, 241–320

which was recently discussed in The New York Times at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/health/research/11brain.html?e
In a Novel Theory of Mental Disorders, Parents’ Genes Are in Competition By BENEDICT CAREYPublished: November 10, 2008

"Two scientists, drawing on their own powers of observation and a creative reading of recent genetic findings, have published a sweeping theory of brain development that would change the way mental disorders like autism and schizophrenia are understood...."

E. While I have other questions about possible omissions or lack of emphasis in the blog entry "What is Autism?" I think I have written enough for one comment entry. As I stated at the beginning, my comments are meant as questions and I would appreciate answers from others, or even more questions, who feel they can do so.

Arthur Golden of Jerusalem Israel

Posted by Arthur Golden on 01/04/2009 @ 03:20AM PT
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I just want to note that I had trouble logging in but it looks like I succeeded after a couple of failures (and having to open a second account under a different email address). Now that I think I got it to work, I will be working on writing up some more questions that I have. Meanwhile, I am getting more confused about "What is Autism?" and I hope others will be able to help me!

Arthur Golden of Jerusalem Israel

Posted by Arthur Golden on 01/04/2009 @ 05:03AM PT
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@Arthur Golden, thanks for your comment. This article was intended to be a very brief introductory post for lay people that covered specifically the current DSM criteria. The article is neither intended to be comprehensive, nor to be used as any sort of diagnostic instrument. The hope was that people who wanted more detailed information like yourself would click on links provided and also do their own extensive research and form their own conclusions, just like you did :-) While we can't emphasize everything in under 800 words, your comment will always be here for others to read.

Posted by Dora Raymaker on 01/04/2009 @ 09:40AM PT
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To Dora Raymaker,

You're welcome.

I hope you got my private email about a specific concern that I have made a commitment to not mention publicly.

As I mentioned in my email, I have decided to not comment further on the blog entry "What is Autism?" but I look forward to reading your other blog entries and possibly commenting on them (as I have since done once so far).

I still hope others will comment on this blog entry, especially in response to my questions.

Arthur Golden

Posted by Arthur Golden on 01/04/2009 @ 08:48PM PT
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I believe that humans are using the disorder "Autism" as an excuse for certain children acting a different way, don't get me wrong I do truly believe there are actual autistic humans out there, the extremely rare savants and otherwise, but I believe it is being used as a new age A.D.D. which, yes, there are children out there that truly have it, but mostly it is just an excuse to use medicine to make them more controllable.

Posted by Chris Pryde on 01/13/2009 @ 10:52PM PT
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Fabulous job Kristina and Dora! I always look forward to your meaningful intelligent posts. Thank you for your time and effort.

I was reading through the commentary on this post and it saddens me that there is an audience that buys into autism being only "a new age A.D.D." If only people could step into our shoes.

Please read the Featured Post on change.org titled "10 Autism Controversies" if you're not sure about the validity of autism.

Posted by Elesia Ashkenazy on 01/18/2009 @ 06:45PM PT
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This is a very brief and straightfoward article. I enjoyed reading it and it enhanced my knowledge on autism greatly. I am also going to check out the other article "10 Autism Controversies". Thanks. :)

Posted by sade p on 05/07/2009 @ 07:48AM PT
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This is a good article. If only more people were more informed about autism. If they did then there would be a better understanding and more help for those with this condition.

Posted by Jennifer Zavala on 05/07/2009 @ 08:30AM PT
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I completely agree with you this article does get straight to the point. this article teaches way more then what i already knew about autism.

Posted by Jalyn brown on 05/07/2009 @ 08:38AM PT
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With so many descriptions of autism no wonder some are confussed, I only wished the correct information is all that was out there, nicely put together...

Posted by Alyson Bradley on 05/18/2009 @ 07:13PM PT
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Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Dora is committed to improving quality of life for individuals on the autistic spectrum--including herself! She is Co-director of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education and a member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's Board of Directors.