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Hungerhill School

ASD Autistic Spectrum



This condition affects a child's ability to socialise and to develop speech and language. The main characteristics are now commonly described as a triad of impairments. These impairments affect:

• communication - language impairment, which may include speech, intonation, gesture, body language and/or facial expression

• social interaction - difficulties such as lack of empathy and perception, inappropriate eye-contact, poor grasp of timing or rejection of physical contact

• imaginative thought - inflexible or over-literal thought processes, which may include obsessional behaviours or repetitive movements and a resistance to change.

Those with autism will experience many of the same difficulties as children with Asperger syndrome . These difficulties may range from mild to severe.

Like Asperger syndrome, this condition requires a multi-disciplinary diagnosis. Children or young adults with ASD or autism will have a different view of the world and of what is important.

Key Characteristics 

Children with autistic spectrum disorder may:

• find it hard or even impossible to look others in the eye

• prefer to be solitary and have great difficulty dealing with other children invading their personal space

• flap arms or hands, particularly when frustrated or upset

• have delayed speech - up to fifty per cent of autistic children have difficulty with developing spoken language

• have difficulty understanding jokes, idioms or figures of speech - everything is taken literally, making it difficult for them to make friends, understand some oral instructions and follow parts of literacy lessons

• have difficulties with language, such as parroting what others say, repeating one phrase over and over or speaking in a monotone

• fly into a rage for no apparent reason, although this usually turns out to be because someone has moved something or changed a routine

• display repetitive behaviour, such as turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, or watching the same videos over and over again.

Support Strategies 

You may need to:




• be consistent in the management of behaviour

• use a daily visual timetable for younger children

• use visual task lists for older students


• use ICT to support learning in a variety of ways


• teach the pupil how to interpret social signals

• use social stories to support a learner in specific social situations

• teach self-help skills

• use visual and concrete materials to support understanding of conceptual vocabulary



Support Agencies and Links 

Autism Independent UK:

• Autism Society (USA):

• National Autistic Society:

• Parents for Early Intervention of Autism in Children: