what is

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

The term “autism” comes from the term “eaftismos” in Greek, selfism,” meaning closed off from the self. It was first identified in 1943 by the American child psychiatrist El Kanner.

It is important to distinguish Autism from Autism spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Autism pertains to children who cannot communicate, are not functional, and unfortunately cannot coexist in a regular classroom in a typical school setting. There are significant differences in their brain anatomy and the way their Central Executive System functions, which is why there are specialized frameworks to support these children.

ASD has always affected a significant portion of the population, which often remained undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Terms like “unsociable,” “grumpy,” “self-centered,” or “eccentric” were often used to describe characteristics that are now known to be indicative of ASD. Nowadays, medical data is more accurately recorded, and diagnostic tools are more precise.

In 2013, the updated Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) renamed Asperger’s Syndrome to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This change was made due to the absence of specific evaluation criteria, as these children exhibit a wide range of peculiarities that vary from one child to another.

Many scientists believe that the fundamental difference between other neurodevelopmental syndromes and ASD is the “theory of mind,” which is the ability to imagine:

what another person might be thinking

what they
might be feeling

what their
intentions might be

This means a lack of empathy.

Empathy involves, firstly, recognizing one’s own emotions—identifying what caused them, why they arose, and how to react and manage them under the circumstances that triggered them. 

Secondly, it encompasses the ability to recognize another person’s emotions- to be able to interpret (“guess”) what might have triggered them and why.

Finally, empathy is about handling how to support the other person- choosing how to offer support, engaging a reaction or choosing not to get involved.

it's the child who...

…withdraws socially, displays rigid thinking, and exhibits obsessions. These obsessions can vary greatly and can stop as suddenly as they started. For instance, a child might have an inexplicable fixation on specific parts of a toy rather than the toy as a whole. Or he may exhibit repetitive behaviours, routines, movements, rituals, or patterns of speech and the use of specific words. Common examples include repeatedly opening and closing a door three times before entering or leaving a room, counting steps before walking into a classroom, turning off the light and counting to 21 before going to bed, or arranging toy cars, shoes, or pencils in a perfectly straight line before beginning to study.
It’s the child who struggles with unpredictability, surprises, sudden changes in plans, alterations in his schedule and routine, changes in people, or school trips. He requires time to familiarize himself with new situations and needs to be prepared in advance for any upcoming changes.
It’s the child who often misinterprets and misunderstands situations because he struggles to grasp others’ intentions. He may fail to recognize innocent verbal teasing from classmates, and have difficulty understanding jokes, wordplay, irony, or ambiguous and metaphorical expressions like “it’s raining cats and dogs,” or “she was heartbroken”. Words with multiple meanings such as “tail” – referring to an animal’s tail, a bridal train, an airplane’s tail, or the line at a cashier and abstract concepts also pose challenges for him.
It’s the child who often misinterprets and misunderstands situations because he struggles to grasp others’ intentions. He may fail to recognize innocent verbal teasing from classmates, and have difficulty understanding jokes, wordplay, irony, or ambiguous and metaphorical expressions like “it’s raining cats and dogs,” or “she was heartbroken”. Words with multiple meanings such as “tail” – referring to an animal’s tail, a bridal train, an airplane’s tail, or the line at a cashier and abstract concepts also pose challenges for him. He struggles with verbal communication and may display unusual facial expressions, gestures, or movements, often avoiding eye contact.
It’s the child who has difficulty sharing toys or activities and finds it challenging to follow or engage with the interests of other children, whether it involves play or emotion. He might show complete indifference to what his peers are doing or saying.

These children may be high-functioning students, excelling in a specific subject while performing poorly in others. A common characteristic is their moderate to severe difficulties with social interaction.

They often struggle to initiate conversations, follow discussions, or engage by listening, contributing arguments, or offering different perspectives.

a little more on ASD

ASD is essentially a problem with socio-cognitive functioning. This means it impacts the child’s ability to communicate with others both verbally and emotionally.

The lack of empathy often leads to social challenges for children with ASD. This is a result of their inability to understand others’ perspectives, which can result in misunderstandings and even conflict with their peers.

Contrary to previous beliefs, recent studies confirm that individuals with ASD experience strong emotions, such as love and sadness but are unable to communicate these feelings in the way that others do.

To mitigate these challenges, it is crucial to train these children in socio-cognitive skills from a very young age, while also providing counselling for parents and proper guidance and information for caregivers and educators in schools.
Early diagnosis, starting at infancy, is critical. A developmental pediatrician should monitor the child’s progress, with a child psychiatrist becoming involved as needed over time.

More often than not, language difficulties are a characteristic of ASD, making speech therapy essential, ideally within a group setting to help the child develop social skills such as dialogue, listening, participation, exchange, turn-taking, interaction, and conversational pauses.

Occupational therapy is also essential to develop functionality and autonomy focusing on home everyday life, classroom settings as well as broader societal integration. ASD symptoms can range from mild to severe.

The comorbidity (co-occurrence) with other developmental disorders is common, which is why a multidisciplinary diagnosis is essential.

It’s important to emphasize that, contrary to common myths, ASD is not caused by poor upbringing or vaccines.

respect is for all