What are the main characteristics?

The National Autistic Society lists three major areas which cause people with autism serious problems. Also sometimes called “the triad of impairments”, they are:

• Social interaction - difficulty with social relationships, for example appearing aloof and indifferent to other people
• Social communication - difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication, for example not really understanding the meaning of gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice
• Imagination - difficulty in the development of play and imagination, for example having a limited range of imaginative activities, possibly copied and pursued rigidly and repetitively