What Is a Person with Autism Like?

Symptoms of autism (autism spectrum disorder) vary from person to person. These symptoms can include problems with social interaction and communication, difficulty with or lack of interaction with people close to the person, no interest in developing friendships, no comprehension of social conventions or needs of others, insistence on very specific and rigid routines or rituals, repetitive body movements, and others.

Autism is a developmental disorder that affects a person's behavior and can make it challenging for them to communicate and interact with others. 

Autism is often referred to as “autism spectrum disorder” because symptoms vary widely from person to person. Some people have just a few mild symptoms while others have severe impairment and disabling symptoms. There is no “one size fits all” description of what an autistic person is like. 

The main symptoms of autism spectrum disorder are categorized into two general areas: 

1. Social communication 

• Problems with social interaction and communication 
• Difficulty with or lack of interaction with people close to the person 
• Difficulty learning to interact with others
• No apparent interest in communicating
• Difficulty with using and interpreting nonverbal behaviors such as facial expressions, eye contact, hand gestures, and body postures
• No interest in developing friendships
• No comprehension of social conventions or needs of others
• Lack of interest in sharing activities, interests, or achievements 
• Inability to speak or understand 
• Playing alone (in children) 
• Babies may avoid eye contact, resist cuddling, or not spread arms in anticipation of being picked up

2. Restricted and repetitive behavior, activities, and interests

• Insistence on very specific and rigid routines or rituals 
  • Changes in routine can be upsetting or frustrating
  • Tantrums or meltdowns may occur if routines change
• Repetitive body movements, such as swaying, rocking, hand or finger flapping or twisting, dipping, or walking on tip-toe
• Limited interests
• Extreme sensitivity to sounds, tastes, or touch
  • Resistance to being touched or increased sensitivity to certain kinds of touch
  • Refusing to eat foods with certain tastes or textures
  • Hypersensitivity to certain frequencies or types of sound or lack of response to nearby sounds or sounds that would startle others 
  • Seeming indifference to pain

Other characteristics of autism spectrum disorder may include: 

• Delayed or absent language skills
  • Language may consist of repeating phrases or words spoken by others (echolalia)
  • Difficulty starting or continuing conversations
  • Reduced ability to understand 
• Irregular cognitive skills
  • For example, may excel at tasks that require memorization but have problems with tasks that require interpretation, reasoning, or abstract thinking
  • May have seemingly expert (“savant”) skills in memory, mathematics, art, music, or puzzles, despite significant deficiencies in other areas