Question

Which of the following are characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorder?
Characteristic(s)
They show impairments in both verbal and nonverbal communication.
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They do not make eye contact or use their eyes to direct others’ attention.
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They may exhibit repetitive behavior that can at times be harmful.
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They focus on objects rather than social aspects of their surroundings.
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They obsessively attempt to change the placement of things in their surroundings, such as furniture.
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They show a lack of interest in playing.
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Not Characteristic(s)

Answer 1

Characteristic:
- They show impairments in both verbal and nonverbal communication — Yes. ASD involves deficits in social communication and interaction (speech, gestures, facial expression, eye contact, joint attention).
- They do not make eye contact or use their eyes to direct others’ attention — Yes. Reduced eye contact and poor joint attention are common.
- They may exhibit repetitive behavior that can at times be harmful — Yes. Repetitive, restrictive behaviors can include stereotypies and, in some cases, self‑injurious actions.
- They focus on objects rather than social aspects of their surroundings — Yes. Many children with ASD prefer objects or parts of objects and have limited social reciprocity.
- They show a lack of interest in playing — Yes (especially social or imaginative/pretend play). Play may be limited, solitary, or atypical.

Not characteristic:
- They obsessively attempt to change the placement of things in their surroundings, such as furniture — No. More typical is insistence on sameness and resistance to change or exacting routines/arrangements (some may insist things stay in a particular order), rather than a drive to repeatedly change placement.