| Autism
Diagnostic Criteria |
DSM-5-TR
Definition |
What This Means | Example |
| Social-emotional Reciprocity | Differences in the back-and-forth exchange of social interaction, including initiating or responding to interactions, sharing emotions or interests, and participating in conversation. | An individual may find natural social interaction difficult. They might struggle to start a conversation, respond to another person's attempt to connect, or share their excitement in ways other people expect. | Someone is very interested in dinosaurs and happily talks about them when asked. However, they may not notice when another person wants to contribute to the conversation, ask about the other person's interests, or change the subject to keep the conversation going. |
| Nonverbal Communication | Differences in using and understanding nonverbal communication, such as eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, body language and the coordination of these cues with spoken language. | An individual may find it difficult to use or understand the unspoken signals people communicate through their faces, movements and gestures. Their facial expressions or eye contact may also differ from what others expect. | Someone might find it difficult to work out whether another person is joking based on their facial expression or tone of voice. |
| Developing, Maintaining and Understanding Relationships | Differences in developing and maintaining relationships, understanding social relationships, and adapting communication or behaviour to different social situations. | An individual may find it difficult to understand the unwritten rules of friendships and relationships, adjust their behaviour to different situations, or work out how to join group activities and social interactions. | Someone wants to join a group of people playing a game but finds it difficult to work out how to enter the activity, take turns or understand the group's shared rules. They may want to form friendships but struggle to understand how to build or maintain those relationships. |
| Autism
Diagnostic Criteria |
DSM-5-TR
Definition |
What This Means | Example |
|
Repetitive Movements, Use of Objects or Speech |
Repetitive or distinctive patterns of movement, repeated ways of playing with or using objects, or repeated speech and phrases. | An individual may repeat certain movements, sounds or words for sensory stimulation, to express joy or to help them feel calm. | Someone may rock back and forth while concentrating, arrange objects in the same pattern, or repeat a phrase they heard in a film. |
| Strong Preference for Routines and Sameness |
A strong need for sameness, inflexible routines or repeated rituals, with difficulty adapting to changes. |
Unexpected changes to familiar plans or routines may be particularly upsetting or difficult for an individual to manage. Knowing what will happen next can help them feel comfortable and prepared. | Someone expects to take the same route to work every morning. When a road closure means taking a different route, they become very distressed, even though they will still arrive on time. |
| Highly Focused or Restricted Interests | Interests that are unusually intense or narrowly focused in their subject matter, intensity or depth of attention. | An individual may develop a particularly strong interest in a specific topic, object or activity and spend a great deal of time learning about it or engaging with it. | Someone becomes deeply interested in trains and spends hours learning their names, routes, models and timetables. They may prefer talking about trains or engaging in train-related activities over a wide range of other activities. |
| Differences in Sensory Responses or Sensory Interests | Greater or lower than expected responses to sensory input, or unusually strong interest in sensory aspects of the environment. | An individual may experience sounds, lights, smells, tastes, textures, movement or temperature differently from other people. Some sensations may feel overwhelming, while others may be barely noticed or particularly enjoyable. | Someone finds the sound of a hand dryer in a public bathroom so overwhelming that they cover their ears and need to leave the room. Alternatively, they may seek out certain textures by repeatedly touching soft fabrics. |