What is autism spectrum disorder?

USA Today

17-04-2025

What is autism spectrum disorder?
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This 6-year-old is off to first grade and couldn't be more excited
6-year-old Deuce Hall, who has autism, is excited to head to first grade after graduating from Applied Behavior Analysis class in Augusta, Georgia.
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Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is the clinical name for the condition most people refer to as autism. Autism is defined as "a complex developmental condition that affects communication, social interaction and behavior," says Christopher Banks, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America.
It's considered a neurobiological condition because "autism likely begins before a baby is born and affects their social communication development," explains Catherine Lord, a renowned autism researcher and a professor of human development and psychology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Because this affected development can vary widely from person to person, some who only have a few related traits may not even know they are autistic; while others might be nonspeaking and require full-time care. "I wasn't diagnosed with autism until I was in eighth grade, though my parents suspected I had it much sooner," says Mary Jane Andersen, a 19-year-old student living in Rexburg, Idaho. The reason she wasn't evaluated sooner, she explains, is because "family friends told my parents that autism usually only affects boys and they said I didn't seem to have any of the obvious signs."
Here's why the condition can be missed, why it affects each person differently and how autistic people are best supported.
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What is ASD?
The breadth of associated traits is why someone with autism is diagnosed with one of three specific levels of severity — as recommended by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Level one autism, for example, includes diagnoses of what used to be called Asperger's syndrome, "but today just means you less obviously need support," says Jennifer Cook, a North Carolina-based autistic person who is the on-camera expert for Netflix's "Love on the Spectrum."
When is ASD diagnosed?
Autism is "most often diagnosed in childhood, usually by ages 2 to 4," says Kevin Pelphrey, a neuroscientist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and the principal investigator of the NIH Autism Center for Excellence. He explains that some early signs of autism that may be recognized by pediatricians and specialists include delays in a child's speech, limited eye contact or repetitive behaviors.
But autism is sometimes missed until someone is an adult because traits are benign or not as publicly associated with autism (such as in Andersen's case), because traits were overlooked or due to the individual growing up without access to autism-related evaluations. "I wasn't diagnosed until I was a mother with three kids," says Cook, "because I excelled academically as a child and grew up during a time when autism was really only looked for in boys."
When autism is diagnosed in teens or adults, "it involves detailed developmental history, behavioral assessments and often self-reported experiences," Pelphrey says.
At 17, she found out she was autistic. It's a story that's becoming more common. Here's why.
How is autism best supported?
Because traits and support levels vary widely, "no single approach fits all people with autism," says Banks.
Andersen says autism should be thought of as "specific challenges we need to manage rather than the condition as a whole needing to be treated." For example, she says that something that can be hard for her is controlling her tone or differentiating tones in others. "Because I don't understand voice inflection well and can be tone deaf to myself, I can sound angry to others even when I'm not at all upset," she says.
To help, she says she learned cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and benefited from forms of social integration therapy to assist her in better understanding voice inflection and body language in herself and others. "I pick up on social cues more easily now," she says.
Some parents of autistic children and adults are in favor of efforts to "cure" the condition, including those who support Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's vowed to find the cause of rising autism cases by September 2025. An exact cause has eluded the scientific community for decades, nor is there a consensus on the increase in autism rates, though scientists attribute it to more awareness and diagnoses.
Autistic children can be supported by creating a structured learning and living environment, Lord says, "such as organized schedules and making sure a child knows what is going to happen next." Sensory objects such as headphones to minimize loud noises or the use of fidget toys can be useful for autistic children and adults alike, adds Cook.
"With proper support," says Pelphrey, "people with autism can live incredible, fulfilling lives."