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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that affects communication and behavior. Although autism can be diagnosed at any age, it is said to be a “developmental disorder” because symptoms generally appear in the first two years of life.

Social Challenges

Core symptoms can include challenges with social communication, such as verbal and non-verbal skills. Children with autism may not speak or appropriately use facial expressions, gestures, eye contact or tone of voice.  They may not be able to recognize their own emotions nor those of others and may have difficutly expressing these emotions. People with autism often feel overwhelmed in social situations and have difficulty judging the appropriate distance between people, i.e. no sense of personal space.