Identifying autism

People with autism have a delay or difficulty in three areas of development:

1. Language skills: they have trouble understanding and using spoken language and non-verbal communication such as facial expressions and body language.

2. Social behaviour: they have trouble understanding social interactions, which affects their ability to play or interact with others.

3. Cognitive and thinking skills: they have trouble thinking and behaving flexibly, and may engage in restricted, obsessive or repetitive behaviours.