1. SOCIAL INTERACTION

• Little awareness of the existence of others, or of their feelings;
  
• Poor or absent ability to make appropriate social contact;
  
• The most severe form is aloofness and indifference to others, although most show an attachment on a simple level to parents or carers;
  
• Indifference to or dislike of being held, cuddled or touched;
  
• Difficulty in forming appropriate relationships with peers or others;
  
• In less severe forms, the individual passively accepts social contact, even showing some pleasure in this, though he or she may not make spontaneous approaches;
  
• Prefers to play alone
  
  

2. LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

• The development of speech and language may be abnormal, delayed or absent;
  
• Minimal reaction to verbal input and sometimes acts as though deaf;
  
• The presence of, or understanding of facial expressions and / or gestures may be unusual or absent;
  
• Repetition of words, questions, phrases and/or sentences over and over again; Endless monologues about their special interest, without adapting to the needs of the listener
  
• Words and phrases may be used incorrectly;
  
• Production of speech may be unusual. A flat monotonous tone or inappropriate variations in tone are often noted;
  
• Those who are verbal, may be fascinated with words and word games, but do not use their vocabulary as a tool for social interaction and reciprocal communication;
  
• Difficulties in initiating and or taking part in conversations
  
  

3. BEHAVIOUR AND IMAGINATION

• Imaginative play may be limited or poor, e.g. cannot play with a wooden block, as if it is a toy car;
  
• A tendency to focus on minor or trivial aspects of things in the environment, instead of an imaginative understanding of the meaning of the whole scene;
  
• May display a limited range of imaginative activities, which you may well find have actually been copied off the TV etc.;
  
• Pursues activities repetitively and cannot be influenced by suggestions of change;
  
• Play may appear complex, but close observation, shows its rigidity and stereotyped pattern;
  
• Unusual habits such as rocking, spinning, finger-flicking, continual fiddling with objects, spinning objects, tapping and scratching on surfaces, or arranging objects in lines or patterns etc;
  
• Inappropriate use of toys in play;
  
• Holding onto objects, e.g.carrying a piece of wool for the whole day;
  
• Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity;
  
• Tantrums may occur for no apparent reason;
  
• Changes in routine or environment, e.g. a change of route to school or altering the placement of equipment in the classroom, may cause distress;
  
• Interests and range of activities may be limited, e.g. only interested in puzzles;
  
• A small percentage of learners have abilities that are outstanding in relation to their overall functioning, e.g. exceptional memory in a specific field of interest;