Autism is a neuroatypicity or a  way of functioning of the mind different from that of the majority of people, which can express itself in enormously different ways from one individual to another and therefore within this definition there can be people with severe cognitive impairment, people with mild impairments and people with intelligence within the norm or even above average. All of them, despite their individuality and different degree of severity, are united by difficulties concerning the communication of even simple basic needs, emotional sharing , and understanding of social and environmental rules .

Typical symptoms are present from early childhood even if they can lessen over time and the set of symptoms must compromise daily functioning.

The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder is never instrumental but exclusively behavioral and must be made on the basis of the criteria of DSM 5 and ICD-10, INDEPENDENTLY of the presence or absence of an associated medical condition or the presence or absence of mental retardation. .

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According to DSM 5 (i.e. the most recent version of the diagnostic manual used internationally by all mental health specialists) autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that mainly involves two areas:

A) language, communication and social interaction

B) narrow and stereotyped interests.

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More specifically, people who have an internal functioning of the Autism Spectrum can have all or some of the following characteristics:

• Sensory hypersensitivity (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile)

• Abnormal or poorly sustained eye contact (or having developed strategies to mimic it over time)

• Poor coordination, motor clumsiness, or motor disorganization

• Presence of repetitive and stereotyped movements, phrases and / or use of parts of objects

• Rigidity of interests, presence of special and absorbing, almost exclusive interests, which can however turn into strengths

• Adherence to rigid routines or in any case important difficulties in transitions or changes

• Outstanding visual and episodic memory  

• Tendency to dwell on details at the expense of the overall vision

• Difficulty understanding mimicry, gestures and in general all non-verbal communication

• Low desire for social contacts and a tendency towards isolation or difficulty in maintaining friendships, social awkwardness

• Difficulty understanding and describing one's own and others' emotions

• Strong sense of justice and adherence to the rules

But be careful: autistic people are not lacking in empathy! They simply do not always have the means to express it or they do it in ways other than those of neurotypical people.