This article may be unbalanced toward certain viewpoints. Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on the talk page.(January 2025)
Based on combination of clinical observation of behavior and development and comprehensive diagnostic testing completed by a team of qualified professionals (including psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, pediatricians, and speech–language pathologists). For adults, the use of a patient's written and oral history of autistic traits becomes more important
Autism spectrum disorder[a] (ASD), or simply autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by repetitive, restricted, and inflexible patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as well as difficulties in social interaction and social communication.[11]Sensory processing differences can produce difficulties in different areas, such as developing social relationships or performing instrumental activities of daily living. Common associated traits such as motor coordination impairment are not required for diagnosis. A formal diagnosis requires that symptoms cause significant impairment in multiple functional domains; in addition, the symptoms must be atypical or excessive for the person's age and sociocultural context.[12][13] Autistic traits fall on a spectrum, manifesting in different ways, with severity and support needs varying widely.[12][13][14] For example, some on the spectrum are nonverbal, while others have proficient spoken language.[15][16]
The view that autism is solely or inherently a disorder has been challenged by the neurodiversity paradigm, which frames autistic traits as a natural variation of the human condition. This view is supported by the autism rights movement and is a topic of research.[17][18][19] The neurodiversity framework has sparked significant debate among autistic people, advocacy groups, healthcare providers, and charities, with disagreements about the nature, classification, and implications of autism spectrum disorder as a diagnosis.[20]
The combination of broader criteria, increased awareness, and the potential increase of actual prevalence has led to considerably increased estimates of autism prevalence since the 1990s.[28][29] The World Health Organization estimates about 1 in 100 children had autism between 2012 and 2021, as that was the average estimate in studies during that period, with a trend of increasing prevalence over time.[b][9][10] This increasing prevalence has contributed to the myth perpetuated by anti-vaccine activists that autism is caused by vaccines.[30]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
^Kapp, Steven K. Autistic community and the neurodiversity movement: Stories from the frontline. Springer Nature, 2020.
^Jaarsma, Pier, and Stellan Welin. "Autism as a natural human variation: Reflections on the claims of the neurodiversity movement." Health care analysis 20 (2012): 20-30.
^Dwyer, Patrick, et al. "Community views of neurodiversity, models of disability and autism intervention: Mixed methods reveal shared goals and key tensions." Autism (2024): 13623613241273029.
^Cite error: The named reference CDC 2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Bertelli MO, Azeem MW, Underwood L, Scattoni ML, Persico AM, Ricciardello A, Sappok T, Bergmann T, Keller R (2022), Bertelli MO, Deb S(, Munir K, Hassiotis A (eds.), "Autism Spectrum Disorder", Textbook of Psychiatry for Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cham: Springer International Publishing, p. 391, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-95720-3_16, ISBN978-3-319-95720-3, retrieved 8 June 2022, Persons with autism spectrum disorder and/or other neurodevelopmental problems are more likely than the general population to have transgender identity, non-heterosexual sexual orientation, and other gender non-conformities.
^"Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis". National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Clinical guideline). 20 December 2017 [28 September 2011]. Retrieved 28 November 2024. Consultees felt that applied behavioural analysis (ABA) should be recommended by NICE as an intervention to manage autism in children and young people. However, it was noted that high quality evidence was not found for ABA during guideline development or surveillance review. Most of the evidence for ABA comes from single-case experimental designs which have limitations like the restriction of generalisation to wider population and the high risk of publication bias.