Although the diagnosis is very personalized and what we highlight below cannot be reported as a generality, there are some characteristics that help make a reading of a person who possibly has this condition.
Autism spectrum disorder in a neurodevelopmental disorder; That is, you begin to see warning signs or certain characteristics during childhood.
As it is a spectrum of characteristics and the diagnosis is so personalized, it is very difficult to say everything that autism entails as such. Since 2014 we have had the spectrum diagnosis, so many characteristics will go into this. However, the main ones that neuropsychologist María Victoria Isaacs highlights are:
- Difficulty in the social skillsin the communicative skills because many times they present a delay in language developmentin the narrative coherence or in the way they ask their questions and give their answers.
- Also have different movements called stereotypies which can be flapping, clapping, hand movements, these are considered “abnormal” in the development of children.
- Many times it occurs echolalia which is the repetition of the last word and some palilalias which are also repetitions of some phrases that are learned from some sound, are considered sound stereotypies.
- Although it is not seen much, it is difficult for them to look into the eyes permanently, then they do it in more sporadic states or moments than other neurotypical people; That is, all those people who do not have neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Language Disorder or Intellectual Disability, for example.
- We also see some difficulties with social interactionfor approach the otherfor him gamefor the social smile.
- It is very important to clarify that It is a condition that lasts throughout life.it is not a disease, therefore there is no cure.
- Great care must be taken in the way we address them when giving an instruction correctly, not because they will not cognitively understand it, but because they will understand it literally.
- They focus on the details of things, then you may be talking and he seems to be listening to you, but he may not remember what you were saying, however, he will answer questions such as what color the shirt was, if it had a logo or textures. They are descriptions that we sometimes ignore, but they are very good at details, graphic design and engineering.
- Autism is not a cognitive disability. There is a comorbidity and in children there may be cognitive disability, but in children There is almost never, it is something different, having a delay and a different intellectual development is not a sign that must be met to have the diagnosis of autism.
- Nor is it true that all people with autism have high intelligence capacities., it is variable whether level 1 children tend to have extraordinary talents and abilities, even in the studies that are carried out and, according to my own experience, we see many abilities in everything that has to do with artistic talent for painting. It may be because of that difference that they have in seeing things, colors, sounds because there are also sensory alterations, noise can affect them, clothes, textures, many times it is not a sensation equal to what a neurotypical person can have. . All of that is different for them.