Website of the Department of Health

An introduction to autism

The term autistic spectrum is often used because the condition varies from person to person. People affected by an autism spectrum disorder have a triad of impairments:

• in social interaction (e.g. appearing aloof and indifferent to others)
• in social communication (e.g. difficulty understanding the meaning of gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice)
• inflexibility of thinking and behaviour (e.g. impaired ability in the development of play).

People with Asperger's syndrome do not have classic autism (Kanner's syndrome) which is associated with a low IQ and often occurs together with a learning disability.

Asperger's syndrome is seen primarily as a social disability rather than an illness. Although the behaviour of those who have been given the diagnosis may be unusual only a minority will need specialist health and social care services. There is wide variation in social adaptation of people with Asperger's syndrome in adolescence and adulthood.