Characteristics of ASD Page |1
Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Purpose:
The purpose of this unit is to introduce you to ASD and the major characteristics of the primary
disorders that are included in the spectrum. This unit serves as a foundation for the intervention
units that are included in this training and includes basic information about ASD and
characteristics specific to each category, a quiz, and related resources.
What is ASD?
The term autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is used to describe a collection of disabilities
that share similar characteristics. There has been some controversy regarding
terminology. While ASD is not commonly used as a diagnostic category, it is currently
used in the professional literature. Generally, ASD is interchangeable with the term
pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), a category of disorders defined in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR; American
Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000).
Several distinct disorders are included under the PDD umbrella: (a) autistic disorder, (b)
Asperger disorder, (c) Rett’s disorder, (d) childhood disintegrative disorder, and (e)
pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Specifically,
individuals with ASD display varying degrees of deficits in social interaction as well as
repetitive, restricted, and stereotyped behavior (APA, 2000). Those who are most
impacted by ASD also have deficits in communication. In this Unit, autism, Asperger
syndrome, and PDD-NOS will be discussed.
Characteristics of ASD Page |2
Brief History of Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger are credited with separately identifying autism as a distinct
group of symptoms in the 1940s. Kanner (1943), an American psychiatrist, wrote in-depth case
studies of 11 children with characteristics that would fit the current definitions of autism, and
that he believed comprised a disorder unique from others including mental retardation and
schizophrenia. He called this disorder early infantile autism. The characteristics included (a)
difficulties relating to others, (b) language delays, such as inability to develop speech, echolalia,
and literal interpretation of language; and (c) unusual behaviors, such as obsessions, insistence
on routine and sameness, and self-stimulatory behaviors. Kanner’s work sparked interest in the
disorder and lead to further research on characteristics and treatment.
At about the same in Germany, Asperger (1944) described children who demonstrated social
deficits similar and maybe milder than those in children with autism, but who had average or
better cognitive functioning. Asperger’s work was largely ignored outside of Germany until
recently.
Wing (1981) rediscovered Asperger’s research and hypothesized that the characteristics he was
describing were a subtype of Kanner’s autism. She described over 30 additional individuals with
characteristics similar to those identified by Asperger.
Prevalence
Early prevalence estimates proposed a rate of autism in 4 to 5 of 10,000 births (Janzen, 2003).
More recent prevalence rates estimated a ratio of 2 in 1000 (Wing & Gould, 1979). Present
Characteristics of ASD Page |3
investigations indicate a much higher rate and have raised alarm about contemporary increases in
the number of individuals with ASD
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently conducted studies in two
metropolitan areas. A study of children from 3 to 10 years old in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia
(Yeargin-Allsopp, et al., 2003), found an ASD rate of 3.4 per 1,000 children (about 1:300),
including autistic disorder, Asperger disorder, and PDD-NOS, according to DSM IV criteria
(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; American Psychological
Association, 1994). Boys were identified at approximately a rate four times higher than for girls;
however, this ratio decreased as cognitive impairment increased. For more information visit the
website on the Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program of the
CDC.
Another study using the same criteria examined the population of Brick Township, New Jersey
(Bertrand, et al., 2001). This investigation found an overall ASD rate of 6.7 per 1,000 children
(approximately 1:150). Specifically, 4.0 in 1000 were diagnosed with autistic disorder. Of note,
there were 2.2 boys for every girl with autistic disorder, a lower ratio than in previous studies.
Approximately two thirds of the children with autistic disorder and half of the children with
PDD-NOS were also diagnosed with mental retardation. For further information, visit the CDC’s
report.
A report from the Department of Developmental Services (2003) in California indicates similar
rapid increases in the rate of individuals with ASD receiving their services. According to their
data, the current estimated prevalence rate of autism, excluding other pervasive developmental
disorders, in California is 3.1 in 1,000 (approximately 1:320), a rise of 774% between 1970 and
Characteristics of ASD Page |4
1997. The gender ratio was approximately 4 males to 1 female, similar to previous reports of
ratios between 3:1 and 5:1 (Lord & Schopler, 1987; Ritvo & Freeman, 1978; Simpson & Myles,
1998). Forty-four percent of the individuals with autism in California were also diagnosed with
mental retardation.
The dramatic rise in the rate of ASD has stirred a debate about the cause. Some theorize that the
increase may be due to inconsistency of diagnostic criteria and methods, broadening of
definitions to include higher functioning individuals with ASD, increased awareness among
practitioners, parents, and physicians, or improved and increased services (Simpson & Myles,
1998; Yeargin-Allsopp, 2002). This debate may also be linked to disagreements about the causes
of ASD. Currently, there is no clearly identified single cause of ASD, but these disorders are
thought to be linked to factors such as (a) genetic or chromosomal disorders, such as Fragile X
syndrome (Rutter, 2000); (b) infections, such as congenital rubella; (c) metabolic disorders; (d)
toxins, such as alcohol and lead poisoning; (e) anoxia (i.e., loss of oxygen at birth); or (f)
traumatic brain injury (Janzen, 2003).
In a nutshell:

Current estimates of prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (combined): 1:250 to 1:320

Approximately 44-67% of children with autistic disorder also have mental retardation

The ratio is 4 boys to every girl diagnosed with ASD
Categories of ASD
In the United States, the most commonly recognized definitions of ASD are those found in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.–TR; DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000).
Characteristics of ASD Page |5
Within the DSM-IV-TR, autism spectrum disorders are defined under the heading of pervasive
developmental disorders. In this Unit, we will discuss autism, Asperger syndrome, and PDDNOS, the most common Pervasive Developmental Disorders. For a more thorough discussion of
the diagnostic criteria, visit the assessment Unit. Please note that there is a great deal of overlap
among the categories of ASD and that characteristics described under one heading may be
applicable to others.
Autism Overview
The definition of autism, or autistic disorder as it is referred to in the DMS-IV-TR (APA, 2000),
describes individuals with impairments that are evident prior to 36 months of age. Those
diagnosed with autism are on the more severely impaired end of the spectrum and many also
have mental retardation (Simpson & Myles, 1998).
Impairments in autism can be described within three categories: (a) social skills; (b)
communication; and (c) repetitive, restrictive, and stereotyped behavior. Each of these areas will
be discussed briefly.
Social Skills
Children and adults with autism display deficits in social skills (APA, 2000). Differences from
the norm may be evident in two or more of the following ways:

They may have deficits or differences in nonverbal communication skills, such as use of
eye contact, body language, gestures, and facial expressions. While they may use some
eye contact, it is not as frequent or sustained \ as in their typical peers (Janzen, 2003).
Characteristics of ASD Page |6
Some children with autism do not appear to notice others, failing to look at or initiate
contact with others.

They often do not build relationships with others their age at a level expected considering
their overall development.

They rarely share attention with others, such as by showing something, pointing, or
pointing out interests or accomplishments.

They do not demonstrate emotional reciprocity. They infrequently take turns in play or
conversation (Janzen, 2003). For example, typical 18-month-olds spontaneously hold out
food for their caregivers to share a bite, but children with autism have to be directly
taught to do so. They also rarely spontaneously imitate the actions of others in play or
otherwise.
Christopher, a nonverbal 12-year-old, demonstrates several social skill
deficits indicative of autism. During a recent assessment, the examiner noted
that although he occasionally made good eye contact, such as when his
favorite crackers were put on a shelf out of reach Christopher did not share
enjoyment with others. For example, when the examiner activated a remotecontrol car, he played with it, but did not look at his mother or the examiner
to see if they also enjoyed the car, nor did he point at it. Further, when two
sets of toy tools were placed on the table and the examiner pretended to build
a chair, Christopher did not imitate her actions. Instead he repeatedly
banged the screwdriver on the table. Additionally, when questioned, his
mother reported that he did not have any particular “friends” he liked to
play with.
Communication Skills
Individuals with autism demonstrate impairments in communication skills in at least one of the
following areas (APA, 2000):
Characteristics of ASD Page |7

They may have delayed speech, or no speech at all, make no effort to make up for these
deficits with nonverbal communication (APA, 2000). Instead of compensating for their
lack of expressive speech through gestures, individuals with ASD use fewer gestures and
those they use are limited in function (Ogletree, 1998). For example, a child with autism
may reach for a item to let someone know he wants something on the shelf but will not
point to comment on something in the environment.

Those who speak are unable to open or keep conversations going (APA, 2000).

They frequently engage in repetitive or stereotypic speech or vocalizations, such as
echolalia (APA, 2000). Echolalia, repeating utterances of others, is common in students
with autism (Janzen, 2003). Such instances may occur immediately. For example, Mom
says, “Whose brush is that?” and the child repeats, “brush is that,” in the same intonation.
Echolalia may also be delayed. When playing with clay, Chin repeatedly says, “I have the
green clay, green clay, green clay,” which had been modeled for him when the clay was
first introduced. Previously, echolalia was thought to have no communicative function.
However, it is currently believed to have a variety of meanings and may be useful in
language instruction (Janzen, 2003; Prizant, 1988).

They may lack pretend play of the same quality, quantity, and variety of their same-age
peers (APA, 2000).
Teddy is a 4-year-old with autism, who attends an integrated preschool
where about half of the children have disabilities and the rest are typically
developing. Communicatively, he lags behind his peers. Most 4-year-olds
speak in sentences of three or more words and use a variety of purposes for
communicating, such as asking for what they want (“Gimme the red car”),
commenting on novel objects in the environment (“Look at that butterfly!”),
and sharing their emotions (“I’m so mad!”). During a recent diagnostic
assessment, Teddy infrequently used words to make requests. However, he
did ask for bubbles by grabbing the bubble wand and saying, “bubu.” Other
Characteristics of ASD Page |8
requests for objects included, “ju” [juice] and “car.” In addition, Teddy
frequently took the teacher’s hand and placed it on items he needed help
with, such as to open a zipper baggie with crackers in it. The only other
communicative purpose expressed was a refusal to play in the sandbox, when
Teddy yelled, “no!” and pushed the teacher away. Teddy also displayed
immediate echolalia frequently, such as repeating “truck,” when the teacher
said, “here comes the truck,” and “pop” while the teacher was blowing
bubbles. While typically developing children may use some echolalia as
toddlers, they outgrow it by 2 or 3 years of age.
Several specific communication differences have been noted in individuals with autism:

Generally, across the spectrum, the higher a child’s measured IQ, the better his or her
language skills are; however, some individuals with lower IQs demonstrate normal
language skills (Kjelkaard & Tager-Flusberg, 2001).

While articulation skills may not be impaired, content and grammar frequently are
delayed. Specifically, many children with autism have a rigid understanding of words
(Janzen, 2003). They may have difficulty with the concept that objects can have more
than one name (e.g., dog/pet/animal, crayon/color/writing utensil) and that words may
have more than one meaning (e.g., iron can mean the mineral, the act of smoothing
wrinkles in clothing, or figuratively, “iron out,” means to solve a problem).
Restrictive, Repetitive, and Stereotyped Behavior
Restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped behavior may be exhibited in at least one of the following
ways by individuals with ASD (APA, 2000):

They may have an unusually strong or focused interest or fixation.

They may be overly drawn to routines and rituals and be unable or unwilling to be
flexible in adhering to these routines.
Characteristics of ASD Page |9

They may demonstrate repetitive complex body or other motor movements, such as
spinning, rocking, or finger flicking. These self-stimulatory behaviors may occur so
frequently that they interfere with engagement in productive activities and may take up
the majority of a child’s waking hours if allowed (Simpson & Myles, 1998).

They may show intense interest in parts of objects, as opposed to using the entire toy or
object (APA, 2000).
Reese, a toddler with autism, was recently observed in his playroom. Most
toddlers would play with a variety of toys in the room, such as stacking
blocks, playing musical instruments, and making animal noises with the
animals in a toy farm. Instead, Reese was observed lying on the floor pushing
a toy car back and forth, closely watching the wheels for 20 minutes. He also
periodically flicked his fingers between his eyes and the overhead light.
The ability and desire to learn routines can be considered a strength in individuals with ASD.
However, at times it may also be a drawback (Janzen, 2003). While they may quickly learn
routines, they may not understand the purpose or significant portions of the routine and, thus, be
inflexible in the use of such routines.
Mari’s mother taught the nonverbal 8-year-old with autism to set the table.
After each step, her mother told her what to do next, such as “plates,”
“napkins.” After two weeks of giving Mari these prompts, her mother wanted
her to complete the task independently, but after each step, Mari looked at
her mom to be told what to do next. Her mother had accidentally built her
verbal prompts into the routine
The pattern of restricted interests found in many individuals with ASD may present itself as
decreased motivation to engage in learning activities (Olley, 1992; Simpson & Myles, 1998).
Often, they are motivated to engage only in activities that reflect their own interests; however,
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f A S D P a g e | 10
this can serve as an avenue for intervention, using special interests as the basis for developing
curriculum.
The desire for routine and predictability along with visual strengths may serve as avenues for
intervention. We suggest visiting the Transition Strategies and Visual Schedules topics to learn
strategies utilizing routines and visual strengths. Some of these repetitive behaviors may be
related to sensory differences in individuals with ASD. These factors and potential interventions
are discussed in the Sensory Interventions Units.
Asperger Overview
Asperger Syndrome (AS), called Asperger disorder in the DSM-IV-TR, is similar to autism,
except that individuals with AS do not demonstrate the severe impairments in speech and
language evident in those with autism (APA, 2000). That is, they generally speak in one-word
utterances by age 2 and phrases by age 3, but they do have socio-communicative impairments. In
addition, individuals with AS are rarely also diagnosed with mental retardation. Impairments
characteristic of AS fall within two categories: (a) social skills and (b) repetitive, restrictive, and
stereotyped behavior. Each of these areas will be discussed briefly.
Social Skills
Social skill impairment is the primary area of deficit in individuals with AS (APA, 2000). The
social skill criteria for AS is the same as for children with autism, although they may manifest
themselves differently. Deficits are found in at least two of the following areas:

As in autism, children with AS may have deficits or differences in nonverbal
communication skills, such as use of eye contact, body language, gestures, and facial
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expressions (APA, 2000). Janzen (2003) has noted that individuals with AS frequently
have difficulty using and interpreting communication that involves nonverbal cues or
paralanguage. They take others’ speech literally and have difficulty interpreting tone of
voice (e.g., sarcasm, humor) and body language (e.g., facial expressions of boredom or
confusion), often mistakenly basing their understanding solely on the words spoken.
Jiro told his teacher how well he had done on an earth science exam. Pleasantly
surprised the teacher responded, “No way! Get outta here!” Interpreting her
words literally, Jiro immediately left the room.

They often do not build relationships with others their age to the extent expected based
on level of development (APA, 2000). Many individuals with AS desire socialization, but
have difficulties understanding social situations (Janzen, 2003). Specifically, they may
not comprehend others’ points –of –view, and find it difficult to determine social
responses to fit a wide variety of situations (Myles & Simpson, 2002).

They rarely share attention with others, such as by showing something, pointing, or
pointing out interests or accomplishments (APA, 2000; Janzen, 2003).

They do not demonstrate social reciprocity (APA, 2000). That is, students with AS may
learn to initiate greetings and conversations, but lack the ability to extend such
interactions (Myles & Simpson, 2002). They may conduct one-sided conversations,
monopolizing or failing to contribute to conversational turn-taking (Myles & Southwick,
1999). Young children with AS often seem uninterested in or unable to participate in play
with peers (Attwood, 1998). They tend to boss other children around or get angry when
the others do not play according to their rules.
Delta is an 18-year-old with Asperger Syndrome. She attends general education
classes, and has some special education support to help her organize her
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homework folder at the end and beginning of the day. Unlike individuals with
PDD-NOS or autism, Delta’s language seemed to develop normally
quantitatively. However, as she got older, some unusual qualitative differences in
socio-communicative skills were noticed. For example, while Delta has a
vocabulary and the sentence syntax appropriate for her age, she does not
demonstrate the same give-and-take conversational skills as her peers. For
example, recently, in her math class, after the teacher passed out the results of a
test, she looked at the paper belonging to the boy next to her and said, “I got a 98
and you only got a 75.” In addition, while at lunch recently, she spoke non-stop to
the girl sitting near, listing the entire casts of popular movies, and failing to give
her classmate a chance to speak. She never noticed the bored expression on her
classmate’s face. As a result of these and other social skill deficits, none of her
classmates invites her out or chooses to sit with her at lunch although Delta says
she wants friends.
A related aspect of social skills impairment in ASD is a difficulty with theory of mind, or the
ability to put oneself into someone else’s shoes and imagine what that other person may be
thinking and feeling. For information on this deficit, visit the Unit on Theory of Mind in autism.
In addition, please visit the Social Interventions UnitS for strategies to address social skill
deficits.
Repetitive, Restrictive, and Stereotyped Behavior
As in autism, restrictive, repetitive, and stereotyped behavior may be exhibited in at least one of
the following ways in individuals with AS (APA, 2000):

They may have an unusually strong or focused interest or fixation. Myles and Simpson
(2002) have noted that in those with AS, these interests may seem similar to those of
same-age peers, but differ in intensity, extent of knowledge, or interest in the topic to the
exclusion of other interests.

They may be overly drawn to routines and rituals, and be unable or unwilling to be
flexible in adhering to these routines (APA, 2000).
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f A S D P a g e | 13

They may demonstrate repetitive complex body or other motor movements, such as
spinning, rocking, or finger flicking. However, this is thought to occur less often in those
with AS compared to those with autism.

They may show intense interest in parts of objects, as opposed to using the entire toy or
object.
Jessie is a bright fifth-grader with AS. Cognitively, he is far beyond his peers.
However, his teacher reports that he rarely completes or turns in work that is not
related to his special interests in American colonial history and European
geography. In fact, these interests are so all-encompassing for Jessie that he
rarely willingly takes part in conversations with his classmates unless they
involve those topics. While he does engage in self-stimulatory behaviors,
particularly finger movements, he has been taught to make those look more
“typical,” so that now he frequently fingers small items such as key chains.
PDD-NOS Overview
Children are diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders, not otherwise specified (PDDNOS) when they do not meet enough of the criteria for specific ASD, but demonstrate some
similarities to others on the autism spectrum (APA, 2000). Thus, these children are an especially
heterogeneous group.
Armando is 7-year-old with PDD-NOS, who spends part of his school day in a
self-contained special education classroom and part of his day in the general
education setting. He speaks most often in three-word phrases or more and uses
a few communicative purposes, but these are limited when compared to his
peers. During a recent observation in his home, Armando spontaneously asked
his momr, “Teddy bear cookies, please.” He also greeted a visitor by saying, “Hi,
I Mando,” when his mom asked, “what do you say?” However, he rarely shares
enjoyment or spontaneously initiates conversations with others. Occasionally,
Armando repeats out-of-context phrases from favorite videos, such as, “Uh oh!
The cow is loose!” which he was observed to repeat about a dozen times within
10 minutes, always with the same intonation pattern as the original video.
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Additional Learning Characteristics
In addition to the criteria specified in the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2000), students with autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) may display a wide variety of other learning characteristics (Janzen,
2003; Simpson & Myles, 1998) that can be described under the following categories: (a) general
cognitive and academic functioning, (b) attention, (c) generalization, (d) visual thinking, and (e)
problem solving.
Cognitive and Academic Functioning in General
Individuals with ASD display a wide variety of cognitive skills, from moderate or severe mental
retardation to average or above-average intelligence (APA, 2000). Thus, possible educational
placements may include self-contained schools or classrooms and general education classrooms
for those with Asperger syndrome and some with PDD-NOS (Simpson & Myles, 1998).
However, despite average or above-average intelligence and strengths in memory and cognition,
many students have difficulties in general education due to restricted interests, problems with
abstract concepts, difficulty generalizing information, and weak organizational skills (Myles &
Simpson, 2002).
Attention
Many individuals with ASD display difficulties in attention (Janzen, 2003). Specifically, they
have difficulty regulating attention, similar to individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (Myles & Southwick, 1999). Examples include daydreaming and difficulty completing
complex directions due to a loss of focus in the early stages of the task. These attention problems
interfere with the ability to choose what in the environment is significant and what should be
ignored. In addition, they may not be able to easily shift attention between two items.
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f A S D P a g e | 15
Ross, a high-functioning fifth-grader with PDD-NOS, was academically on par
with the other children in his math class. However, he was concentrating so hard
on completing his division problems that he missed his teacher’s repeated
directions to put his math away and line up for lunch, resulting in a loss of 5
minutes of recess for “non-compliance.”
Associated with difficulties in attention, children with ASD tend toward stimulus overselectivity
(Simpson & Myles, 1998). This means that they attend to few cues in the environment and often
respond to the wrong or insignificant cues.
Armen used a photographic visual schedule to transition from one activity in
the classroom to another. When he took the photo indicating circle time, he
walked over to the fish tank and peered inside. The teacher told him
repeatedly to sit on his spot, but he stayed at the tank. When he looked at the
picture of the circle time area, he noticed and attended only to the small
piece of the fish tank in the photo.
Alfredo was a nonverbal preschooler with autism. While teaching him to
identify colors, the teacher used a red, blue, and yellow toy car. He had
mastered the task of handing the blue car to the teacher when asked to “give
me the blue car,” but when it was lost and replaced with an identical toy car,
Alfredo could no longer complete the task correctly. He had noticed the
missing hubcap on the blue car and had incorrectly associated that with the
word “blue” instead of paying attention to the color of the car.
These types of deficits also contribute to difficulties with social conventions. Thus, they find it
challenging simultaneously to pay attention to what someone is saying, to facial expression,
body language, and tone of voice.
Generalization
Individuals with ASD often have trouble generalizing information to new settings, people, and
materials as a result of difficulties organizing information meaningfully (Janzen, 2003; Simpson
& Myles, 1998). Consequently, tasks mastered in only one teaching environment are not
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f A S D P a g e | 16
automatically demonstrated in others. Therefore, academic planning should include specific
attention to ensuring generalization takes place.
Allison was unable to make transitions from activity to activity in her classroom, to the
frustration of herself and her teacher. For example, after breakfast, her teacher said,
“Allison, it’s time to go to the bathroom.” Allison did not comply. When the teacher
repeated it four more times in an increasingly louder voice, Allison threw herself to the
floor, kicking and screaming. The next day, her teacher instead handed her a photograph
of the restroom door and said, “bathroom.” Allison went without a fuss.
Problem Solving
Students with ASD have difficulty with the flexible thinking involved in solving problems
(Janzen, 2003). They find it challenging to creatively generate a variety of options, think about
multiple pieces of information at once, and evaluate possibilities. Often, when students with AS
have learned a solution to a problem, they continue to try that solution even if it does not work
(Myles & Southwick, 1999). Even when they have learned multiple solutions to problems
through discussion and role-play, the have difficulty retrieving or generalizing them to authentic
situations. These deficits in problem solving extend to academics, involving problems such as
with math word problems and estimation.
Mellisande generally performed well on exams in her high school U.S. history
class. She easily memorized dates, names, events, and places. However, when
the teacher gave a writing assignment involving brainstorming possible ways of
preventing the Vietnam War, she could not interrelate the facts she had
memorized to produce creative solutions.
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Quiz – Characteristics of ASD
1 Which of the following is an autism spectrum disorder?
A. Autism
B. Asperger syndrome
C. Pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified
D. All of the above
2 Which of the following people is NOT given credit for the identification of autism
spectrum disorders?
A. Tony Attwood
B. Leo Kanner
C. Hans Asperger
D. Lorna Wing
3 Current prevalence studies estimate a rate of approximately _______ births.
A. 6:10,000
B. 1:300
C. 1:850
D. None of the above
4 More boys are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders than girls
True
False
5 Impairments in autism are generally described within all of the following categories
EXCEPT:
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f A S D P a g e | 18
A. Social skills
B. Communication
C. Repetitive, restrictive, and stereotyped behavior
D. Motor skills
6 Some children with autism fail to make eye contact with or look at their peers.
True
False
7 All students with autism speak.
True
False
8 Echolalia is uncommon in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
True
False
9 Self-stimulatory behaviors may include which of the following:
A. Finger flicking
B. Rocking
C. Spinning
D. All of the above
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f A S D P a g e | 19
10 A major difference between autism and Asperger syndrome (AS) is that individuals
with autism have clinically significant deficits in communication skills, while those with
AS do not.
True
False
11 Students with AS find it easy to understand and use nonverbal communication and
abstract language.
True
False
12 Students with AS typically have difficulty with:
A. Fine-motor skills, such as handwriting
B. Speaking in more than two-word utterances
C. Determining others’ points of view
D. All of the above
13 Individuals with AS often have intense interests that are unusual in terms of:
A. Intensity
B. Extent of knowledge
C. Exclusion of any other interests
D. All of the above
14 Which of the following is true?
A. Individuals with PDD-NOS always have speech delays
B. Individuals with PDD-NOS are similar to others on the autism spectrum but they
C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f A S D P a g e | 20
do not meet enough of the criteria for a specific category
C. Individuals with PDD-NOS are a homogenous group
D. All of the above
15 Intelligence in individuals with ASD:
A. Ranges from severe mental retardation to average or above-average intellectual
functioning
B. Is below average
C. Ranges from severe to mild mental retardation
D. Is far above average
16 Specific difficulties related to attention are found in individuals with ASD include:
A. Difficulty regulating attention
B. Stimulus overselectivity
C. Difficulty completing complex directions
D. All of the above
17 Which of the following is NOT a problem associated with learning and academics in
those with ASD?
A. Rote memory
B. Attention
C. Generalization
D. Problem solving