Persons with autism may possess the following characteristics in various combinations and in various degrees of severity.
| Difficulty in mixing with other children |  |
Insistence on sameness; resists changes in routine |  |
| Inappropriate laughing and giggling |  |
No real fear of dangers |  |
| Little or no eye contact |  |
Sustained odd play |  |
| Apparent insensitivity to pain |  |
Echolalia (repeating words or phrases in place of normal language) |  |
| Prefers to be alone; aloof manner |  |
May not want cuddling or act cuddly |  |
| Spins objects |  |
Not responsive to verbal cues; acts as deaf |  |
| Inappropriate attachment to objects |  |
Difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words |  |
| Noticeable physical over activity or extreme under activity |  |
Tantrums – displays extreme distress for no apparent reason |  |
| Unresponsive to normal teaching methods |  |
Uneven gross/fine motor skills. (May not want to kick ball but can stack blocks.) |  |