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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

First, there are persistent difficulties in communicating with others and in social interactions: difficulties in reaching out to others, difficulties in sharing emotions and affects, and even an inability to initiate or maintain social interactions. There are also difficulties in non-verbal communication behaviors: abnormalities in eye contact, poor use of common gestures or facial expressions. It is possible to have difficulty understanding and/or predicting the behaviours and intentions of others due to varying degrees of difficulty in grasping the implicit and abstract.

Among the specificities of ASD, certain behaviours, interests or activities are restricted and repetitive. Intolerance to change or lack of mental flexibility are also observed (which can lead to routines that are difficult to change), with unusual and intense interests, and hypo- or hyper-reactivity to sensory stimuli (you are more sensitive to noise or light for example).

ASD shows in a specific way of thinking: the environment is perceived bit by bit, focusing on the details rather than through a global vision. Sometimes it is possible (but very rare) to have exceptional abilities in certain areas such as memory, calculation or music.

ASD is generally detected in early childhood when it is associated with an intellectual disability. But this disability is not systematic: it is then more difficult to spot and identified later. This includes what used to be called Asperger's syndrome or "high functioning" ASD. It can also be associated with anxiety and depression.