What are the characteristics of ASD?

Signs can appear from childhood (starting at about 18 months).

There are often learning and communication problems (verbal and non-verbal):

In young children

The child does not respond to their first name, does not point the finger, does not imitate people, avoids looking into the eyes of others, makes few social gestures (such as “hello”, does not say his age and “goodbye”).

Children and adults

Difficulties in establishing a dialogue, engaging in conversation, creating friendships, decoding emotions and language subtleties such as irony, sarcasm, ambiguities.

Other behaviors are also observed from childhood to adulthood:

• a narrow and repetitive palette of interests and activities
• atypical sensory reactions

Contrary to popular beliefs, the presence of ASD does not necessarily imply intellectual disabilities. According to INSERM, this affects about one in three people.