“When you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism.”  The strengths and challenges displayed by an autistic individual can vary widely. Ron Davis believes the potential for genius exists in every autistic individual - it just needs to be unlocked.

Much of what we know about autism is the nature of the difficulties that they face. Autism is often described as a 'spectrum disorder' because the condition affects people in a variety of ways and to different degrees. This why it is often referred to as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

ASD is characterised by difficulty in communicating, relating to others and forming relationships; in using language and abstract concepts;  and in their ability to make sense of the world around them.  

Lorna Wing categorized three broad areas that she termed the Triad of Impairments. (Wing, 1981, cited in www.davisautism.com).
These include challenges with:

• Social interaction 
• Social communication 
• Social imagination

Social Interaction

• Lacking in social skills
• Displaying inappropriate social behaviours
• Not paying attention to others
• Being distant, withdrawn
• Choosing to be alone more than usual
• Difficulty in understanding types of relationships, such as friendships vs strangers
• Difficulty in making and keeping friendships

Social Communication
 

• The difficulty in communication may be verbal and non-verbal, for example:
• Not fully comprehending the meaning of gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice
• Repeating what has been said to them
• Difficulty with pronouns, such as “I” and “you”
• Inappropriate tone of voice
• Lacking in facial expressions or gestures

Social Imagination

• Difficulty understanding others – how they think and feel
• Difficulty in understanding why others react in certain ways.
• Having a literal understanding of language, meaning that common phrases such as “”it’s cool” might mean that you are feeling chilly, rather than you are feeling happy
• Problems with imagination and imaginative play

Other common observable behaviours of people with ASD include things such as:

• Repeated actions/body movements, such as hand flapping and spinning.
  
• Obsessions with specific topics
  
• Attachment to objects 
  
• Needing to stick to rigid rituals or routines
  
• Being extra sensitive or extra un-sensitive to sights, sounds, tastes, textures and smells.

Information from www.davisautism.com.  For more information on Autism and the Davis Autism Approach, please visit Davis Autism International website or like their Facebook page for up to date information and inspiration.