INTRODUCTION - National Trust

6. Children with autism often fail to develop normal appropriate play. They may forsake,
toys altogether, preferring instead to spin a lampshade or flick a light switch on and
off. If they do interact with toys, they may do so in an abnormal manner. For instance,
the child may arrange, stack, or sort stimuli repetitively, over and over in the same
pattern, and may show extreme disruption if the pattern is altered. Or they may turn
a truck over and spin the wheels rather than roll it on the ground. Social play with
peers may develop spontaneously, but usually does not.
7. Finally, autistic children commonly show obsessive, ritualistic behaviours which have
been characterized as a profound resistance to change in the environment or to normal
routines. Familiar bedtime routines, insistence on one type of food, one type of
furniture arrangement and particular routes to familiar places are examples of routines
which, when altered even in a minor fashion, can create extreme disruptions in a
child’s behaviour.
In short, the characteristics are :-
People with autism fail to develop interpersonal relationships.
They show gross impairment in communication ability. Approximately 50 % of
children do not develop meaningful verbal language.
They exhibit bizarre responses to various environmental stimuli like light, sound,
touch, and pain.
They indulge in stereotypical, self stimulatory, repetitive behaviours, like body
rocking, hand-flapping, and meaningless vocalisations.
They have abnormal play patterns.
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