What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Autism spectrum disorder

What is ASD?

To better understand autism spectrum disorder—or ASD—it’s essential to consider the unique cognitive structure of every individual with autism.

“The world needs all types of minds.”
—Temple Grandin

The general definition of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

How we view ASD at SACCADE™:

The diagnosis isn’t the end goal; rather, it’s the beginning of a journey.
ASD isn’t limited to any age group.
ASD shouldn’t be confused with an intellectual disability, a behavioral disorder, or a mental health issue.
ASD can’t be cured.
ASD is a condition that can be improved upon.

Three characteristics of the autistic brain

We believe there are three characteristics common to all autistic people*, regardless of the degree of their challenges, or whether or not autism is apparent.

They are:

Difficulty with initiative. It may seem as if the brain always needs a prompt or an external indicator to trigger action, to move to another stage. Depending upon the degree of the autistic structure’s intensity, an autistic individual cannot create bridges on their own to cross over to their next developmental zone.
Difficulty with abstraction. Autistic people are known for being visual thinkers, but the reality is much more complex. Because the autistic brain is visual and concrete, an autistic person doesn’t typically take into consideration what isn’t clearly apparent, things like abstraction, interaction, and social skills. The autistic brain works in a perceptual, nonsocial manner, which means that someone with autism can be “socially blind.”
Challenges recalling information in real time, or in processing the concept of time even when verbally describing or reporting on experienced events. The autistic brain can’t necessarily process information associated with it in real time. That’s why we’ll often hear an autistic person answer “I don’t know” when they’re asked a personal question that touches on their experience. It may also reinforce the incorrect belief that autistic people don’t have emotions [1].

*The expression “autistic person” or “autistic individual” and the term “autistic” are used throughout. These terms refer to an individual diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), pervasive developmental disorder, autism, high-level autism, Asperger’s syndrome, unspecified ASD, atypical autism, or, in short, any person living with the condition of autism.

There are different perspectives on the definition of autism:

For a physician, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed from criteria currently identified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V), namely social communication and restricted and/or repetitive behaviors, activities, and interests [2].
For parents, autism is first and foremost a matter of concern with regards to parenting, parenting skills, and attachment.
For GPs, or mental health practitioners, autism is defined by the following three elements: behavioral disorders, opposition, and an “absence of emotions.”
An autistic person might say that their internal processes include three criteria: perception, processing information, and tracking emotions [3, 4].

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to SACCADE™

Recent Canadian studies indicate that one in every 66 children may be autistic [5]. Four times more boys than girls have been diagnosed with autism; however, recent studies suggest a ratio of two to three boys to every one girl [6].

ASD is a genetic variation that impacts information processing [7] and the most complex of all neurodevelopmental disorders [8].

The autistic individual is the only person who can manage their autistic structure [9]. At SACCADE™, we believe it’s essential that we stop trying to create our children into whom we’d like them to be, and that we simply guide them [10].

The autistic person has the same equipment as any human being, but their brain is connected differently which means they manage perception differently.

Autism forces the body to involve itself in managing someone’s perception of their environment, which results in particular gestures and actions. We call these gestures “autistic manifestations”. These manifestations are found in the majority of autistic people on the planet, and they’re often still confused with behavioral disorders. Autistic manifestations are responses to a need for developmental balance. We shouldn’t prevent them from occurring, but guide them instead, allowing the individual to evolve.

Most autistic people aren’t intellectually disabled. At SACCADE™, we believe that due to confusion in the understanding of the autistic condition, subsequent interventions have not focused on helping autistic people lead rich or fully realized lives. There’s an urgent need to intervene in a way that respects an autistic person’s integrity, and that helps them achieve, and maintain, a better quality of life.

We think of autism the way you’d think of the color blue—in nuanced shades. So, the intensity of the autistic structure determines the degree of impairment. Respecting the current literature, therefore, the SACCADE™ model intervenes directly on the core of someone’s unique autistic needs, on what people with this condition have in common, as identified by the internal structure of autistic thought [9] regardless of the intensity of the structure (or the “degree of impairment”), age, or associated disorders.

So, some people might have a dark blue autistic structure, whereas others might have a pale blue autistic structure.

For us, ultimately, the goal isn’t that an autistic person be autonomous, but that they can self-manage.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V)

A. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):

Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.

B. Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text).

Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (for example simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).
Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior (for example, extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take the same route or eat the same food every day).
Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (for example, strong attachment or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).
Hyper- or hypoactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment (for example, apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement).

C. Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities or may be masked by learned strategies in later life).

D. Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.

E. These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay. Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur; to make comorbid diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, social communication should be below that expected for general developmental level.

The severity specifiers may be used to describe succinctly the current symptomatology (which might fall below level 1), with the recognition that severity may vary by context and fluctuate over time [2].

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to Health Canada

The exact cause of ASD is not known.

While both genetics and environment likely play a role, its exact cause remains unknown.

There is a lot of research being done worldwide to understand how genes and exposure to things in the environment can increase the risk that a child will have ASD. However, it’s important to keep in mind that increased risk is not the same as cause. For example, some gene changes associated with ASD can also be found in people who don’t have the disorder.

ASD is not:

Contagious
Caused by vaccination
Caused by parenting style

BECAUSE EVERY AUTISTIC PERSON IS DIFFERENT, TREATMENTS AND THERAPIES MUST BE BASED ON EACH INDIVIDUAL’S SPECIFIC NEEDS.

(Health Canada, 2020)

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/autism-spectrum-disorder-asd/about-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd.html

References

Harrison B, St-Charles L. L’autisme expliqué aux non-autistes. Quebec City: Trécarré; 2017.
American Psychiatric Association. DSM-5: diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder 5. Arlington: American psychiatric publishing; 2013.
Chamak B. Accompagnement d’enfants et d’adolescents autistes: un SESSAD innovant en Moselle. Revue française des affaires sociales, 2016(2);141-156.
Mottron M, Dawson M, Soulières I, Hubert B, Burack J. Enhanced perceptual functioning in autism: an update, and eight principles of autistic perception. Journal of autism developmental disorders, 2015;36(1): 27-43.
Public health agency of Canada. Autism prevalence among children and youth in Canada: 2018 report of the national autism spectrum disorder (ASD) surveillance system. Ottawa: public health agency of Canada; 2018.
Halladay AK, Bishop S, Constantino JN, Daniels AM, Koenig K, Palmer K, Messinger D, Pelphrey K, Sanders SJ, Tepper Singer A, Lounds Taylor J, Szatmari S. Sex and gender differences in autism spectrum disorder: summarizing evidence gaps and identifying emerging areas of priority. Molecular autism. 2015 Jun 13;6-36.
Mottron L. Should we change targets and methods of early intervention in autism, in favor of a strengths-based education? European child and adolescent psychiatry. 2017;26(7):815-825.
Szatmari P. Heterogeneity and the genetics of autism. Journal of psychiatry and neuroscience. 1999 Mar; 24(2):159-165.
Harrisson B, St-Charles L. L’autisme: au-delà des apparences. Quebec City: Concept ConsulTED; 2010.
Lemay M. L’autisme aujourd’hui. Paris: Éditions Odile Jacob; 2014.
Health Canada. About autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [Internet.] Ottawa: Health Canada; 2020 [updated 2020 Oct 21; cited 2024 June 23]. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/autism-spectrum-disorder-asd/about-autism-spectrum-disorder-asd.html

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