Table of Contents

1. What Is Autism?
2. Types of Autism
3. Levels of Autism Spectrum Disorder
4. Early Signs and When to Seek Help
5. Changes in Autism Terminology
6. Causes of Autism
7. How Autism Affects Children
8. How Common Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?
9. More to Explore

When people hear the word “autism” they often have a specific idea of a particular behavior in their head. However, not all people with autism have these behaviors. What may apply to some people with autism does not apply to all autistic people. Plus not all autistic people belong to this classic category of autism that we might think of.

Autism often occurs during the first critical developmental years of a child, from the age of 0-6 years. The child may not follow the normal course of development of the age milestones and this may cause concern to the parents.

1. What Is Autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects communication, behavior, and social interaction. It appears in early childhood, usually between ages 0 to 6, and affects each individual differently. While some people may have noticeable developmental delays, others might show subtle differences.

People with ASD may experience:

• Difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication
• Limited or absent social interaction
• Repetitive behaviors or restricted interests
• Sensory processing challenges

ASD is a spectrum because it includes a wide range of symptoms and abilities, from mild to severe.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in 2013 revised the autism classification and so all types of autism are now merged into a single diagnosis known as “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)”.

ASD refers to the wide variety of possible different skills and ability levels that can detected in Autistic people. Many of those with ASD can have:

• Deficits in social interactions.
• Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities and sensory problems.
• Delayed or absence of language development.
• Intellectual disabilities.
• Inflexible interests.
• Insistence on obsession in environment or routine.
• Repetitive motor and sensory behaviors, like flapping arms or rocking.
• Increased or decreased reactions to sensory stimuli.
• Poor motor coordination.
• Attention weaknesses.

How well a person with ASD can function in their daily activities depends on the severity of their symptoms. As autism varies widely in severity and how they are handled on daily routine, the symptoms are not always easily recognized by everyone.

Today there is no difference between Autism and ASD, due to the general term ASD from 2013 which includes all autistic behavioral and functional disorders.

2.What are the Types of Autism?

The changes in terminology concern the diagnosis that has been made in recent years. However, the previous terminology has not been completely removed and in discussion can be referred to as Asperger or PDD, even by health professionals, parents and people with autism. but these terms are no longer an official diagnosis in the US classification system.

Asperger syndrome was the mild form of the autism spectrum. People with Asperger’s were often thought to have “high functionality”, with average to above-average intelligence and no speech delays. Some autistic people do not accept terms like those of high or low functionality. Children with Asperger’s autism may have smaller differences than their peers and often have satisfactory or even strong language and cognitive skills. Since 2013 it has been reclassified as Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder by the DSM-5 Diagnostic Manual.

Kanner Syndrome was discovered by Johns Hopkins University psychiatrist Leo Kanner in 1943 and has been described as infant autism. Doctors today describe Karren’s syndrome as a classic autistic disorder. Children with Kanner syndrome will show less of the characteristics of the disorder. This will display the following features:

• Lack of emotional attachment with other people
• Communication and interaction difficulties
• Uncontrolled speech
• Obsession with handling objects all the time
• Even if they show up great ability of memory and visual-spatial skills experience great learning difficulties in other areas

Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is discovered early in infancy. The disorder mainly affects girls but does not exclude boys. Rett syndrome affects a child’s life in almost every way. The good thing is that the child can live a good life with proper care. So the kid can live with the family and experience the family environment and with the right help to do the activities he likes.

The most common features of Rett syndrome include:

• abnormal motor behavior and coordination problems
• communication and speech problems
• they might deal some difficulties in the respiratory process

Childhood Decomposition Disorder (CDD), also known as Heller’s syndrome or psychotic disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by the delayed onset of developmental problems in language, motor skills, or social functioning. CDD or Heller syndrome is associated with children who, while growing normally, suddenly developed some relapse between the ages of two (2) and ten (10) years. It is characterized by loss of acquired cognitive abilities and by typical autistic symptoms, which is not due to a neurodegenerative disease, or schizophrenia. It is common in children with CDD to have epilepsy. The cause of CDD is unknown, although researchers have linked it to brain neurobiology. Childhood degenerative disorder is 90% more common in boys.

Children with Heller syndrome show clinically significant responses to some specific skills:

• In language.
• In motor skills.
• In social relations.
• On emotional development.
• In adaptive behavior.

Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) or it’s also called Atypical Autism. The most common symptoms are challenges in social and language development. The diagnosis of PDD-NOS was given when a developmental disorder didn’t quite meet the criteria for autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Rett syndrome, Kanner’s syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified.

The most common features in PDD-NOS are:

• delays in language development,
• delys in walking,
• delays in other motor skills
• diffilulties in interacting with others

Severe autism is also called “level 3” in the spectrum. People with such severe autism should definitely take care of their daily functioning. They may also need care and great support in their daily lives and for the rest of their lives.

There is also “The broad autism phenotype”, however, is a term that is rarely used. This categorization is often described as “autistic traits” but is not usually diagnosed. The symptoms are mild and do not have a clinical picture capable of diagnosis. Research has shown that this can occur many times in relatives of people diagnosed with autism.

Also another categorization is the three “levels” of autism, with “level 1” being referred to as the mildest and “level 3” as the most severe. Thus high-functioning autism describes “mild” autism or “level 1” in the spectrum. Asperger’s syndrome is also often referred to as high-functioning autism. The symptoms of autism are here but often there is no need to support the autistic child or adult.

3.The three levels of ASD are:

Level 1: Usually needs support. Displays communication issues such as:

• difficulty in social skills,
• does not respond to or fail in social interaction with others,
• has reduced interest in socializing, has no or is incomplete
• ability to speak with specific and clear content and can not participate in a discussion and this makes communication difficult,
• it is difficult to make friends.
• flat monotone speech,
• have difficulty expressing emotions in their speech,
• they don’t change the tone of their speech to communicate according to the needs of the environment
• have difficulty interacting with their peers at school or at home

The most commonly reported behavioral problems that an autistic person with ASD 

• Level 1 (Requiring Support):
  • Difficulty initiating social interactions
  • Trouble switching between activities
  • Flat or monotone speech
• Level 2 (Requiring Substantial Support):
  • More noticeable verbal and nonverbal deficits
  • Limited interests and reduced social responses
  • Repetitive and rigid behaviors
• Level 3 (Requiring Very Substantial Support):
  • Severe communication challenges
  • Minimal social interaction
  • Intense repetitive behaviors
  • High sensitivity to environmental changes

4. Early Signs and When to Seek Help

Signs of ASD may appear as early as 12 to 24 months, such as:

• No response to name
• Lack of eye contact
• Delay in speech or babbling
• Difficulty with social play or pretend games
• Repetitive movements (e.g., hand-flapping)
• Hypersensitivity to sensory input
• Emotional outbursts or meltdowns

Parents should consult a pediatrician or developmental specialist if these signs are observed.

5. Why the Terminology Has Changed

The term Autism Spectrum Disorder now encompasses all previous subtypes to better reflect the range and complexity of the condition. Terms like “high-functioning” or “mild autism” are no longer used in clinical diagnosis due to their vagueness and potential to misrepresent individual needs.

6. What Causes Autism?

There is no single known cause of ASD. Current research points to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as:

• Family history of autism
• Certain genetic mutations
• Parental age
• Low birth weight
• Exposure to toxins or infections during pregnancy
• Neurological differences

Vaccines have been extensively studied and are not linked to autism.

7. How Autism Affects Children

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)Trusted Source, both genetics and environment may determine whether a person develops ASD. However, from many sources, it seems unlikly that vaccines cause ASD.

Communication:

• Delayed speech or no speech
• Echolalia (repeating words/phrases)
• Difficulty understanding nonverbal cues

Functioning:

• Trouble adapting to routine changes
• Difficulty playing with peers
• Need for structured environments

Speech:

• Unusual tone (monotone or sing-song)
• Hyperlexia (advanced reading skills without comprehension)

Common red flags include:

• No meaningful two-word phrases by 24 months
• Regression in language or social skills
• No pointing or gesturing by 12 months

8. How common is autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?

 Today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that 1 in 54 children in the United States is diagnosed with ASD, in which boys seemed more likely to have ASD than girls. There were more than 5 million adults in the US, or 2.21% of the population, with ASD as of 2017. Government statistics suggest that the prevalence of ASD (how common it is) has risen 10% to 17% in recent years.

It is clear that many children and later adults may suffer from autism, but it is not always serious and it is important to keep in mind that the amount of support an autistic person needs can vary depending on different ages or situations.