1. Autism as a spectrum disorder
Autism is a diverse syndrome occuring along a broad continuum of severity, with great variability among and within individuals with the syndrome (Le Couteur, 2011). Ever since Kanner first described the syndrome (1943), there has been much research - to this day - about its nature and to ascertain what exactly comprises autism (Csepregi and Stefanik, 2012). Significant research was executed by Lorna Wing to this end, resulting in the identification of a typical triad of impairments – reciprocal social interaction, reciprocal communication and flexibility of thought - in autism (and delineating a coherent syndrome), which is the basis for diagnosis even today (Stefanik, 2012).
For many years, the term Pervasive Developmental Disorders-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) was used synonymously with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (Győri, 2012), but as of 2013, with the publishing of the The Diagnostic and Statistical …show more content…
Repetitive speech is typical, along with echolalia, idiosycncratic phrases, neologisms, pronoun reversals. It is characteristic of autism that speech production may be better than understanding speech. Metacommunication is commonly impaired at all verbal and intellectual abilities.
Impairment of reciprocity in social interactions (and emotion) – Generally the most conspicuous aspect of ASD, the emphasis is on reciprocity and a qualitative impairment, a difficulty behaving in a way that takes into account the other person's inner state – in developing, maintaining and understanding relationships. Sharing experiences – joy or pain is typically limited. Adequate use and timing of eye-contact, according to context and social interaction, is usually