Autistic folks may navigate the world and social interactions in a different way. That doesn't mean they don't have social skills. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) varies in how it may affect an individual.
Many people on the autism spectrum can successfully improve their social interaction skills.
Many autistic people are extroverts and gain energy from being around others. They struggle with social norms and sensory input. They have the desire to be around people. But, they may not always catch on to the subtle nuances of social interaction, and that's ok!
Impairment in social functioning is a central feature of ASD. Typical social skill deficits include: initiating interactions, responding to the initiations of others, maintaining eye contact, sharing enjoyment, reading the non-verbal cues of others, and taking another person's perspective.
Strategies and Interventions: The good news is that children with AS are very capable of learning and developing their social skills. They can make effective progress with appropriate interventions that capitalize on their many strengths.
Although social deficits are common, there are no defining factors of autism. In a post from her blog, Girl Tribe, Jessica reflects on her experience as a parent of two girls with autism. We have been blessed with two daughters on the autistic spectrum who have pretty opposite struggles when it comes to socialisation.
Unlike more classically autistic children, who may be described as “aloof” or “passive” in their social interactions, children with Asperger's tend to be “active but odd.”1 Not content to be alone all the time, they long to form friendships (as they understand them) with others.
There are other brain disorders that mimic autism symptoms, like ADHD and anxiety disorders, including selective mutism. Autism can be misdiagnosed as another disorder with some shared symptoms.
“High-functioning autism” isn't an official medical term or diagnosis. It's an informal one some people use when they talk about people with an autism spectrum disorder who can speak, read, write, and handle basic life skills like eating and getting dressed. They can live independently.
People with the BAP have some traits common to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but not enough to have the disorder. But it's not comedians who have drawn scientific scrutiny for having the BAP: it's the parents and siblings of people who actually have autism.
Findings of most studies support that ASD in high-functioning adults is associated with a distinct personality profile even if variability exists. Cluster A and cluster C personality disorders (PD) are the most frequent co-occurring PD in ASD, but overlapping features should be considered.
The researchers say their findings “suggest that nearly half of individuals with ASD have average or higher IQ,” and warn that these individuals “remain at risk for not being identified.”
While some autistic people have exceptional cognitive abilities, others may have intellectual disabilities. According to a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, about 40% of autistic people have an intellectual disability, while the rest have average or above-average intelligence.
Autism Prevalence
31% of children with ASD have an intellectual disability (intelligence quotient [IQ] <70), 25% are in the borderline range (IQ 71–85), and 44% have IQ scores in the average to above average range (i.e., IQ >85).
Some developmental health professionals refer to PDD-NOS as “subthreshold autism." In other words, it's the diagnosis they use for someone who has some but not all characteristics of autism or who has relatively mild symptoms.
It describes a person who may appear to be neurotypical, but is actually autistic or neurodivergent.
Borderline autistic children have delayed language development but not to the same extent as of autistic children. They may also exhibit minor learning disabilities. However, for kids with borderline autism, learnability could be significantly improved by the use of behavior and concentration therapies.
Children with autism have a broader or wider mouth and philtrum - the groove below the nose, above the top lip.
Active but odd: This group makes initiations and responds to others. They are interested in interactions and seek them out, but their ways of carrying out the interactions are unusual in their odd language, obsessive topics, and lack of understanding of others.
Individuals with Asperger's usually want to fit in and have interaction with others, but often they don't know how to do it. Individuals with Asperger's may be socially awkward, not understand conventional social rules or show a lack of empathy.