What are autistic spectrum disorders?

Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other disorders of relating and communicating involve a number of different challenges.  Each child, though he may share a common diagnosis with other children, has his own unique pattern of development and functioning. For example, some children are over reactive to sensations, such as touch and sound, while others are under reactive. Some children have relatively strong auditory memories, while others have relatively strong visual memories. Some children are able to sequence and plan a number of actions in a row, while others are only able to carry out one action at a time, and therefore become very fragmented in their behavior.   Such processing difficulties can interfere with a child’s ability to relate, communicate and think.

In addition, children differ in their basic mastery of the foundations for relating, communicating, and thinking. Some children with autistic spectrum disorders can form relationships and engage in purposeful social interaction to a limited degree, while others are self-absorbed and aimless. Some children can attend, engage with others, and communicate with gestures, but have difficulties participating in a continuous flow of communication.  These children also then have difficulties with the meaningful use of ideas and language, and in connecting ideas together for logical and reflective thinking.  Other children have partial mastery of these basic foundations, but are limited in their capacity to apply these abilities to a broad range of situations.  So while children may share common features that lead to a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder, their underlying challenges are quite varied, which strongly suggests the need for individualizing treatment to address each child’s needs.