1. Social Development
2. Behavioral Differences
3. Impaired Communications
4. Sensory Integration Difficulties
5. Incidence
6. Causation
7. Interventions

Impaired Communications

People with autism have difficulty with communication. Approximately forty percent of children with autism do not communicate verbally. Children who do have language are speech delayed, or may use speech inappropriately. Many are "echolalic", which means they echo, or repeat words, phrases or questions that are spoken to them. Some people with autism can use speech very well, and others have greater difficulty. This has no direct relation to their cognitive or social abilities. According to Temple Grandin, many autistics are visual thinkers, or "think in pictures". Written or spoken words can be very difficult, abstract concepts to these people. Ironically, some autistics are "hyperlexic". That is, they are very good at 'decoding' written words, but have little or no concept of the meaning. From a communication standpoint, many people with autism can have difficulty using language to make their needs known. American Sign Language or PECS (a system that relies on pictures to communicate ideas) can be used by autistic individuals who do not speak or prefer to use a supplementary communication system to spoken or written language.