What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which means it affects how a person’s nervous system (including the brain) develops.

Autism is diagnosed according to specific criteria, but it’s important to understand that everyone with autism is different. If you’re autistic yourself, you probably already know this. But if you’ve only met one or two people with autism — to paraphrase the popular saying — you’ve only met one or two people with autism. Some autistic people are nonverbal or use very few words; others have strong language skills but still struggle with other modes of communication — and that’s just one of the many, many nuances among people with ASD.

What is autism?

Autism affects people in two broad ways: Their social communication skills develop differently, and they have what are called restrictive, repetitive behaviors. (You can see the specific diagnostic criteria here.)

Social communication skills

Social communication doesn’t just mean talking, it refers to how we interact with other people — maintaining back-and-forth conversation, reading social cues or understanding jokes, making friends, or knowing how to act depending on the social situation.

For some people, these skills seem to develop automatically. They feel innate, like you were born with them. (You weren’t, but it just might feel that way.) For people with autism, social communication skills don’t develop in the typical way. That could mean that they have very limited or no verbal language. But even for those with more advanced language skills, understanding and navigating social situations can be extremely difficult.

Restrictive, repetitive behaviors

Restrictive, repetitive behaviors, often referred to as RRBs, are specific patterns of behavior that involve fixating on a limited set of interests and repeating words, phrases, or physical motions over and over — like flapping your hands or twirling your hair.

RRBs also include rigid routines and an insistence on sameness; any disruption to a routine, even if it’s small, like eating something different than you normally eat, can throw you completely off balance.

RRBs can also include highly specialized interests. You know everything there is to know about one particular thing — maybe it’s anime, dogs, Disney characters, or the New York City subway system. Whatever it is, once you’re engaged with that thing, it’s extremely difficult for you to switch gears and talk or think about something else.

And RRBs can include sensory sensitivities. You might be extremely averse to certain sounds, textures, or smells but go out of your way to seek out others.

How is autism diagnosed?

Most people with autism are diagnosed around the age of 5 or 6, though you can also receive a diagnosis earlier (as young as 12 months) or at any age after that. If you are diagnosed later, or as an adult, it doesn’t mean you developed autism later in life — it means that the signs were there when you were a child but were overlooked or misdiagnosed.

Because autism contains such a broad range of behaviors and challenges, you might relate to certain aspects of it and be tempted to self-diagnose. But autism can also look like other disorders, so it’s extremely important to work with an experienced clinician to get the right diagnosis and with it, the support you actually need.

Some people with autism also have intellectual disability. And people with autism range from those who need very little support to those who need 24/7 care.

How is autism treated?

It depends on the person and what they need. But autism is treated using various therapies designed to help you build the skills you’re struggling with. People diagnosed with ASD can also receive specialized services and support in school.

What’s the right terminology?

People use different terms when talking about autism. Some people prefer what’s called “person-first” language, as in “a person with autism.” This construction emphasizes a person’s identity outside of having autism.

Other people prefer what’s called “identity-first” language, as in “autistic person.” Some self-advocates argue that being autistic is part of who they are and say that “person with autism” casts ASD as a negative thing that has happened to them, rather than an integral part of their identity.

Meanwhile, people also use the terms autism spectrum disorder and its acronym, ASD. If you’re not sure what language someone prefers, listen to how they talk about themselves or just ask them.

You may have also heard the term Asperger’s or Asperger’s syndrome, which was used, until 2013, to describe autistic people with more advanced language skills who did not have intellectual disability. Asperger’s is no longer a diagnosis separate from autism. While some autistic people still use the term, many are uncomfortable with its history and argue that the separation implies a preference for people with more language skills.