Autism spectrum disorder (ASD ... make a big difference in a child’s quality of life and ability to function. Children often show early signs of ASD between the ages of 6 and 12 months.

As with all autism spectrum disorders ... do not return social feelings or share in the happiness or distress of others. They might fail to develop friendships as children and may be singled ...

Children on the autism spectrum with minimal speech are generally provided with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems that represent vocabulary using picture symbols (i.e., color ...