What they aren't telling you about autism

Personality and Individual Differences Vol.14, pp. 465-482, 1993 (Copyright Pergamon Press)
A Theory of General Impairment of Gene-Expression Manifesting as Autism Robin P. Clarke

Table 2. Characteristics of autistic persons (a rearrangement of the table of Wing, 1976, with additions)

A. Effects of nonfunctioning of innatons
1. Disorders of communication:
*Problems in comprehension of speech.
*Complete absence of speech (mutism) or, in those children who do speak:
* -Immediate echolalia (parrot-like copying).
* -Delayed echolalia.
* -Repetitive, stereotyped, inflexible use of words and phrases.
* -Confusion over the use of pronouns.
* -Immaturity of grammatical structures in spontaneous (not echoed) speech.
*Poor control of pitch, volume and intonation of the voice. Problems of pronunciation.
*Poor comprehension of the information conveyed by gestures, miming, facial expression, bodily posture, vocal
intonation, etc.
*Lack of use of gesture, miming, facial expression, bodily posture and vocal intonation to convey information.
'Pragmatic' deficiencies of verbal communication (see text).
2. Problems of motor imitation: difficulty in copying movements; muddling right-left, up-down, and back-front.
3. Erratic patterns of eating and drinking, including consumption of large quantities of fluid [also category C].
4. Lack of dizziness after spinning round.
5. *Apparent aloofness and indifference to other people, especially other children.
6. *Lack of imaginative play or creative activities.
7. *Attending to minor or trivial aspects of people or objects instead of attending to the whole.
8. Socially immature and difficult behaviour.
9. Failure to use gaze, facial expression, posture and gesture to regulate social interaction. a
10. Rarely seeking others for comfort or affection. a
11. Rarely offering comfort or responding to others' distress or happiness. a
12. Rarely initiating interactive play with others. a
13. Rarely greeting others. a
14. No peer friendships in terms of mutual sharing of interests, activities and emotions--despite ample opportunities. a
15. Lack of reciprocal eye-contact and social smile in first months. a
16. Normal attachments not present when expected.b
17. Rarely imitating, even when motivated.c
18. Deficit of joint attention behaviours (i.e., showing an object or pointing).c
B. Less direct effects of nonfunctioning of innatons
19. Abnormal responses to sensory experiences (indifference, fascination).
20. Spontaneous large movements, or fine skilled movements, or both may be clumsy in some children though others
appear to be graceful and nimble.
21. *An unusual form of memory: the ability to store items for prolonged periods in the exact form they were first
experienced.
22. *Intense resistance to change, attachment to objects and routines or a repetitive, uncreative interest in certain
subjects.
23. *Absorption in repetitive activities, stereotyped movements, self-injury, etc.
C. Emergences of long-established innatons
24. Abnormal responses to sensory experiences (distress).
25. Abnormal responses to pain and cold.
26. The use of peripheral rather than central visual fields [and or category A].
27. Looking at people and things with brief flashing glances rather than a steady gaze [and or category A].
28. Jumping, flapping limbs (i.e. alternate handflapping and posturing,d rocking, and grimacing).
29. A springy tip-toe walk without appropriate swinging of the arms.
30. An odd posture when standing, with head bowed, arms flexed at the elbow and hands drooping at the wrist.
31. Erratic patterns of sleeping and resistance to the effects of sedatives and hypnotics [and or category A].
32. *Inappropriate emotional reactions [and or category A].
D. Other suppressions of relatively idiosyncratic characteristics
33. Immaturity of general appearance and unusual symmetry of face. (Attractive appearance, and intelligent appearance, and or stigmata such as low seating of ears, wide spacing of eyes, and partial webbing of toes. e)
34. *Skills that do not involve language, including music, arithmetic, dismantling and assembling mechanical or electrical objects, fitting together jigsaw or constructional toys. (Some very retarded can read words out loud.f)

* items essential for diagnosis of autism as described by Kanner (1943).
a Rutter & Schopler (1987). b Volkmar (1987). c Sigman, Ungerer, Mundy & Sherman (1987).
d Walker & Coleman (1976). e Walker (1976).
f Silberberg & Silberberg, 1967; Snowling & Frith, 1986; Welsh, Pennington, & Rogers, 1987)

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