Autism spectrum disorder
Persistent deficits in social communication and interaction with restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, present in early development.
How it presents
deficits in social reciprocity, nonverbal communication, relationship skills; restricted/repetitive behaviors, fixated interests, sensory hyper/hyporeactivity; symptoms cause impairment
Tell it apart from
- Intellectual disability
- Language disorder
- Social (pragmatic) communication disorder
Treatment reasoning
Early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI/ABA), speech-language therapy, social skills training, parent-mediated interventions; no medication for core symptoms.