A life-long developmental disability that affects physical and social abilities is known as an autism spectrum disorder.

The term “autism” is used to describe a wide spectrum of conditions marked by difficulties with social skills and repetitive behaviors. People with ASD may behave, interact, communicate, and grow differently than most normal individuals.  In particular, while some ASD sufferers are nonverbal, others may have superior conversational skills. Some individuals with ASD require a lot of assistance in their daily life, while others may function independently and work. Those who have the syndrome may also have coexisting learning difficulties, but regardless of their general intelligence level, everyone who has it struggles to make connections between themselves and their surroundings.