What are some of the characteristics of autism and Asperger Syndrome?
The degree of severity of characteristics differs from person to person, but usually includes the following characteristics identified by researchers at the University of North Carolina and adopted from their TEACCH web site entitled “Autism Primer: Twenty Questions and Answers.” A. Delays in language development – Language is slow to develop, if it develops at all, and usually includes peculiar speech patterns or the use of words without attachment to their normal meaning. B. Delays in understanding social relationships – An autistic person often avoids eye contact, resists physical contact, and seems to “tune out” the world around him. C. Inconsistent patterns of responses to sights, sounds, touch and smells – An autistic person may at times appear to be deaf and fail to respond to words or other sounds, may show an apparent insensitivity to pain and a lack of responsiveness to cold or heat or may be distressed by an everyday noise. D. Uneven patterns of intellectual functioning – An
