Autism
Behavior characteristics of autism can be broken down into two basic categories.
The first of the behavior characteristics of autism is a difference in interpreting sensory information. A person diagnosed with autism or ‘on the autism spectrum’ can interpret sensory information very differently than people who are not ‘on the spectrum’. A person diagnosed with autism can be incredibly sensitive to some sensory stimuli while being very oblivious to others. Sensory differences can be one of the most challenging behavior characteristics of autism because over-stimulation can be a great source of discomfort for the individual. This discomfort can cause the individual to react in bizarre, harmful, and even self-abusive ways.
There are many different examples of sensory interpretation differences being behavior characteristics of autism. One example would be an individual who is extremely sensitive to light touch. This means that if I were to graze this person’s arm or gently touch them on the shoulder, this feeling would be so unbearable for that individual that it would become overwhelming. This feeling of pain would likely cause a negative reaction, either against me (in order to prevent me from continuing my behavior) or against themselves (which again would cause me to change my behavior, but also may change the sensory input and help them to deescalate and regulate their body). This same person may not have any sensory issue with deep touch so a tight squeeze on the wrist or a ‘bear’ hug may feel quite good for this person.
It is of the utmost importance to find out how a person with autism interprets sensory input and make accommodations for their behavior characteristics of autism. for them. Sensory diets are a very effective way of helping individuals with autism to regulate their systems and cope with the many sensory challenges they are forced to cope with on a daily basis that are outside of their control.
The second of the behavior characteristics of autism are differences in movement. Part of the effect of autism is that it is a movement disorder. This can be very difficult during times of transitioning from one area to another. While the individual may understand the need to move or even have the desire to move their brain is not able to communicate this desire to the physical parts of the body that are required to carry out the action. Oftentimes this is done very slowly and can take a long time for the individual to make the transition. What can often happen is that the people who are with this individual operate on a different clock and feel that individual should to. Therefore they intervene in this process, which can lead to a negative reaction.
Other behavior characteristics of autism involving movement are the individual walking on their tiptoes or the balls of their feet. Knocking over objects, being rough with objects, grabbing at people, rocking back and forth, attempting to strike out at people, head banging, etc. There are many ways that people diagnosed with autism move differently than hose who aren’t. This does not mean that they will display all, or any of these behavior characteristics.
It is easy for people to be upset by some of these movement differences and may see them as intentional acts of aggression. This is not the case. Many times what is happening is that the person’s brain wants to do one thing and the body’s interpretation of that desire is misinterpreted into an unrelated movement. This can be very frustrating for that individual and cause a great deal of stress in their life not to mention the stress it has on their ability to have relationships with people.
The behavior characteristics of autism are so distinct because from a very young age their brains have been forming neurological pathways very differently than people who do not have autism. They interpret their environments quite differently and interact with their environments quite differently as a result. There is a new terminology emerging from people ‘on the spectrum’ where they have been referred to as neuro-atypical. There is also a terminology emerging from people with autism referring to the rest of the population as neurotypical.
It is important for people to understand that although they may seem like they are in their own world, they are very much present in the world around them. Those people who have been deemed non-communicative who have found their way to communicate can articulate their experiences, thoughts, and feelings better than many people.