Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Communication deficits observed in individuals with autism can vary. A delay in the development in expressive language is observed in some, while others may never develop meaningful speech. The language of individuals who do develop expressive speech is often rote (e.g., seeming scripted), repetitive (a child may repeat a sound, word, or phrase over and over again) and lacking communicative meaning (an individual may speak, but the content of the speech does not relate to their surroundings). Other problems such as difficulties with “turn-taking” in conversation, a preoccupation with one conversational topic, and tangential or off-topic responses may also be observed in the speech and language of individuals with autism.

Individuals without spoken language do not generally try to compensate through the use of gestures or other forms of non-verbal communication. Whereas a typically developing child may point to a box of cereal to indicate they are hungry, a child with autism may not.

As listed in the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria, impairments in communication associated with autism include:

1. delay in, or total lack of the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)
2. in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
3. stereotyped or repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language
4. lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to developmental level