Autism Spectrum Disorder

---

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental disorder characterized by social-communication deficits that co-occur with a pattern of restricted and/or repetitive behaviors. 

While the profile of symptoms may be unique to each individual diagnosed with an ASD, common symptoms may include one or more of the following: 

Social-Communication Impairment

• limited or inconsistent eye contact during social interactions
• lack of, or limited responsiveness to others' social overtures
• difficulties initiating and/or maintaining social interactions
• difficulties expressing basic wants/needs
• challenges answering open and/or close-ended questions
• inability to initiate and/or sustain reciprocal conversations pertaining to varied topics 

Restricted/Repetitive Behaviors

• tendency to hyper-focus on topics of interest (topics of interest may change over time) 
• engagement in repetitive motor mannerism (e.g., hand-flapping, muscle tensing, finger splaying, rocking back and forth)
• engagement in sensory-driven activities (e.g., lining up toys, categorizing items, repetitively turning lights on and off)
• difficulties with transitions between activities
• preoccupation with certain routines/rituals
• repetitive patterns of speech (e.g., echolalia, scripted language, repetitious use of certain phrases)

• A formal diagnosis provides a context from which caregivers and providers can understand an individual's challenges
• A thorough diagnostic evaluation clarifies an individual's unique profile of strengths and weaknesses
• Treatment recommendations are adapted to support each individual's needs while employing unique strengths to bolster treatment outcomes
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is considered to be the "gold standard" treatment for ASD by the research community, is a covered treatment by many insurance policies for individuals diagnosed with ASD