What is autism and what are the characteristics associated with it?
Page 1: What Is Autism?
neurodevelopmental disability
glossary
Every classroom is made up of learners who think, communicate, and experience the world in various ways. This includes students with autism—a neurodevelopmental disability that is characterized by differences in:
- Communication
- Social interaction
- Repetitive behaviors
- Restricted interests
Recent data suggest that 1 in 31 children (about 3.2%) have autism. Many of these children will qualify for early intervention or special education services to support their learning and development. Whether they qualify for these services or not, the vast majority are included in general education classrooms for all or part of their school day. Therefore, educators at every grade level and in every subject area can expect to teach children and students with autism. Because these individuals differ in the presentation and intensity of autistic characteristics, autism is often referred to as a spectrum. For this reason, educators should avoid stereotypical assumptions and understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to their education.
early intervention
glossary
special education
glossary
children and students
We distinguish between the terms ‘child/children’ and ‘student(s).’ ‘Child/children’ refers to infants, toddlers, and young children. ‘Student(s)’ encompasses individuals from preschool through transition/vocational programs.
Even though they are working with these learners more often, many educators still have questions about autism. Let’s explore some of these questions below.
The prevalence of autism in children has increased significantly in recent years, from 1 out of 150 in 2000, to 1 out of 68 in 2010, to 1 out of 31 in 2025. Experts attribute this increase to a combination of factors, including:
- A broader clinical definition and diagnostic criteria for autism
- Greater awareness of autism and its diverse presentations
- Improved access to diagnosis
Autism is caused by differences in brain development. Its origins are largely genetic, with biological and environmental factors potentially increasing a child’s likelihood of developing autism. Autism is not caused by vaccines, diet, trauma, screen time, or parenting style.
Research Shows
- When combined with genetic factors, events before and during birth that can contribute to the development of autism include:
- Advanced parental age
- Prenatal exposure to air pollution or pesticides
- Maternal obesity, diabetes, or immune system disorders
- Prematurity
- Very low birth weight
- Birth events involving oxygen deprivation to the baby’s brain
(National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2025)
- Numerous large-scale, high-quality U.S. and international studies involving hundreds of thousands of children have found no link between autism and vaccines or their ingredients.
(World Health Organization, 2025)
Neither; although autism, intellectual disabilities, and specific learning disabilities are all types of neurodevelopmental disabilities, each is a unique diagnosis. Cognitive delays or academic difficulties are not features of autism itself. However, some students with autism might also be diagnosed with an intellectual disability or a specific learning disability (e.g., dyslexia, dyscalculia).
intellectual disability
glossary
specific learning disability (SLD)
glossary
No, this is a common misconception. Although exceptional or “savant” skills are more common in individuals with autism than in the general population, they are still quite rare. Experts estimate that less than 10% of individuals with autism exhibit some form of savant skills. However, intense and highly focused interests in a particular topic are very common among people with autism and can be a significant area of strength.
No, challenging behavior is not a universal trait of autism. However, students with autism are more likely to exhibit challenging behaviors than students without autism. These behaviors often occur due to communication challenges or difficulty coping with social or environmental demands. When present, the frequency and severity of challenging behaviors will vary widely from student to student.
challenging behavior
glossary
Several different terms can be used to describe autism, and this language continues to evolve. Additionally, individuals, advocates, and professional organizations have different interpretations of and preferences for certain words and phrases. The table below describes some of the terms you might hear.
| Term | Description |
| autism spectrum disorder (ASD) | ASD is the terminology used for a medical diagnosis of autism. However, many people prefer to describe autism as a difference or disability rather than a disorder. |
| person with autism | This phrase reflects people-first language because the order of the words places the person before the disability. Advocates for people-first language prefer to keep the primary focus on the individual, rather than the disability, to support and maintain respect and dignity for the person. They feel that referring to the disability first focuses on the disability and can perpetuate stereotypes.
x
people-first language glossary |
| autistic person | This phrase reflects identity-first language because the order of the words places the disability before the person. Advocates for identity-first language feel that their disability is an integral part of their identity, which can also include membership within a larger group or community. Conversely, they believe that people-first language attempts to separate the individual from the disability, perpetuating negative connotations associated with disability.
x
identity-first language glossary |
| neurodivergent | Individuals might identify as neurodivergent when their brain works differently from what is considered “normal” or neurotypical. Neurodivergence is not a medical diagnosis but rather a descriptive term that encompasses a range of neurodevelopmental differences (e.g., autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], learning disabilities).
x
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) glossary |
| Asperger’s syndrome | Prior to 2013, Asperger’s syndrome was a diagnostic subcategory of autism used for individuals with average to above-average intellectual ability and language development. Asperger’s is no longer recognized as a separate diagnosis, and individuals who would have been identified under this category in the past are now diagnosed as having ASD. |
In this interview, Kara Hume discusses how educators can talk about autism respectfully and professionally amid the evolving shifts with language and terminology.
Transcript: Kara Hume, PhD
This is a really exciting time, I think, to be having conversations around how we talk about autism, how we think about the language associated and terminology related to autism. There’s a few things to think about. The first is the ongoing conversation about the use of person-first language or identity-first-language. For years as professionals, I was a teacher, I was taught to use person-first language. I would say “a student with autism.” However, in the last few years, we’re hearing more and more from autistic individuals in the autism community saying no, they would really prefer to use identity-first language. So autistic individual, autistic student, indicating that autism really is part of their identity and who they are, not an attachment that they have with autism. They are autistic. However, there’s really not consensus, of course, across all autistic individuals or caregivers or professionals in the autism community. The best rule of thumb, when it’s possible, is to ask somebody how they prefer to be described or discussed, whether they prefer person-first or identity-first language.
Another consideration—I think this is gaining traction in the United States and it certainly is in other countries—is while the official term around diagnosis is autism spectrum disorder, many people are moving away from the term disorder, thinking about difference or just a spectrum. Just saying that so-and-so is on the autism spectrum, and that’s a way of acknowledging that without using the disordered term.
Next people are moving away from using the language around high and low functioning. Instead of thinking of someone as high or low functioning, we think much more about what are their nuanced needs around support. They may need a lot of support or higher support around their communication needs, but they may need really low support around their adaptive behavior or independence. Instead of thinking high and low functioning as a one-off description of an individual, it’s really thinking about what are their tailored needs around levels of support.
And the last, becoming more familiar or more comfortable with the terms neurodivergent and neurodiversity. When we think about neurodiversity, it’s this natural variation in brain structure and brain function. Reframing those differences out of a deficit-based model and into a model that acknowledges and even celebrates the diversity and how we think and how we learn and how our brains work.
For Your Information
Although surveys have shown that the majority of autistic adults prefer identity-first language, language preferences are deeply personal. When determining whether to use people-first or identity-first language, educators can show respect by asking students which terms they prefer to describe them and their disability. For young children and those who cannot reliably express their preferences, professionals should defer to their family’s wishes.
Note: In recognition of the varied preferences held by individuals, advocates, and professional organizations, we will use the terms “with autism” and “autistic” interchangeably throughout this module.
In these interviews, Kara Hume addresses common misconceptions about autism, and Jamie Pearson emphasizes the importance of understanding that students with autism differ in the level of support needed.
Jamie N. Pearson, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences
North Carolina State University
(time: 1:22)
Transcript: Kara Hume, PhD
I’m going to talk about four misconceptions, or stereotypes, about students with autism that would be helpful for educators to keep in mind. The first that I’ve heard this from lots of different educators is that autistic students don’t want friends or autistic students don’t want to be social or participate in social activities at school. And from our research across the last 20 years, we can very clearly attest that that is not the case—that autistic students do want friends, they do want to be part of the social connections in a school community. They may have trouble navigating those relationships or reading cues, but students do want to be fully engaged in the community.
Another misconception is that our students who are not communicating verbally aren’t understanding, they have more significant challenges around cognition, and that is not always the case. Another stereotype or misconception that I hear from teachers is that all autistic students have the same skills, like they’re all good at math or they all love STEM. Or we might hear that they all have the same interests, like I hear a lot about animation. And certainly, they may have skills in math and they may love animation, but your autistic students have the wide range of interests and skills that all of your other students have. They may love dance, or they may love poetry, they may love cooking, they may love literature or creative writing. Our work as educators is to not make assumptions about areas of skill or deficit and not make assumptions about what students might be interested in, but really work to get to know the individual students so we can tailor our instruction around their strengths, their needs, and their interests.
And the last misperception that I want to talk about is related to behavior. Often a teacher, an educator, a professional might feel like behavior that would be determined interfering or challenging might be personally directed to you or might be really willful. If a student is resisting something, you might feel like that student doesn’t like me, that student is just being difficult. The work of our educators is to think maybe that behavior is not about you. It might be in response to the environment. It might not be a willful disrespect, but a student who’s not able to communicate in other ways what their needs are, what challenges they’re experiencing. Working on thinking about how we attribute behavior—it’s not always about that student, it’s not always about their internal student factors. We’re really thinking about, How is that behavior giving a communicative message? How does it mean I might need to make some changes in my teaching or my environment?
Transcript: Jamie N. Pearson, PhD
Educators tend to think about autism in very black-and-white terms, and that’s especially if they don’t have a high level of familiarity with autism. Sometimes people think about it in terms of students who might have savant abilities, or they think about it in terms of students who have more significant disabilities. And they may not necessarily understand that autism is a spectrum disorder and that every student is different. I like to think about autism as a grid instead of a spectrum because there are students who have really strong abilities in one area, but they might need supports in another area. It doesn’t mean that they only have high support needs or that they only have low support needs, but there’s this combination. And so, students might fall on a grid or in a particular cell in terms of where they need that level of support.
It’s really important for educators to be knowledgeable about autism because it’s one of the fastest-growing, if not the fastest-growing disability category in special education. We know that about 13% of students in special education in the United States are diagnosed with autism. And so, we’re seeing a really large number of students with autism in the classroom. And it’s important for teachers to have a clear understanding and more knowledge about autism so that we can increase and strengthen our supports, particularly in the general education classroom.
Returning to the Challenge
Every person with autism is a unique individual with their own set of strengths and perspectives. Although they might experience differences in how they communicate, interact, and learn, these are simply part of the richness of humanity. Throughout this module, the Returning to the Challenge sections provide more detailed information about the children you met in the Challenge. For a more personal look into their everyday lives and unique journeys, access the audio and video interviews with the children and their families. Look for the icons below throughout the module.
This microphone icon denotes an audio interview.
This filmstrip icon denotes a video interview.
