A 2018 study has shown that autistic people are more prone to object personification, suggesting that autistic empathy may be not only more complex but also more all-encompassing, contrary to the popular belief that autistic people lack empathy. Moreover, scientists are still trying to determine what causes autism; it is highly heritable and believed to be mainly genetic, but there are many genes involved, and environmental factors may also be relevant. It is unclear why autism commonly co-occurs with ADHD, epilepsy and a range of other conditions. There are ongoing disagreements about what should be included as part of the autism spectrum, whether meaningful sub-types of autism exist, and the significance of autism-associated traits in the wider population. The combination of broader criteria and increased awareness has led to a trend of steadily increasing estimates of autism prevalence, causing a common misconception that there is an autism epidemic and perpetuating the myth that it is caused by vaccines. Classification
Spectrum model
Autism is a highly variable neurodevelopmental disorder and has long been thought to cover a wide spectrum, ranging from individuals with high support needs (who may be non-speaking, experience developmental delay, and be more likely to present with other co-existing diagnoses including intellectual disability) to individuals with low support needs (who may have more typical speech-language and intellectual skills but atypical social/conversation skills, narrowly focused interests, and wordy, pedantic communication). Because the behavior spectrum is continuous, boundaries between diagnostic categories are somewhat arbitrary.
Autistic individuals may experience these challenges with forming connections due to anxiety or depression, which they are more likely to experience, and as a result isolate themselves.Other behavioral characteristics include abnormal responses to sensations (such as sights, sounds, touch, taste and smell) and problems keeping a consistent speech rhythm. The latter problem influences an individuals social skills, leading to potential problems in how they are understood by communication partners. Behavioral characteristics displayed by autistic people typically influence development, language, and social competence. Behavioral characteristics of autistic people can be observed as perceptual disturbances, disturbances of development rate, relating, speech and language, and motility.The second core symptom of autism spectrum is a pattern of restricted and repetitive behaviors, activities, and interests. In order to be diagnosed with ASD under DSM-5 or DSM-5-TR, a person must have at least two of the following behaviors:
Repetitive behaviors – Repetitive behaviors such as rocking, hand flapping, finger flicking, head banging, or repeating phrases or sounds. These behaviors may occur constantly or only when the person gets stressed, anxious or upset. Resistance to change – A strict adherence to routines such as eating certain foods in a specific order, or taking the same path to school every day. The child may have a meltdown if there is any change or disruption to their routine. Restricted interests – An excessive interest in a particular activity, topic, or hobby, and devoting all their attention to it. For example, young children might completely focus on things that spin and ignore everything else.