Are There Other Common Differences In The Nonverbal Behavior Of A Person On The Autism Spectrum?

Oct. 23, 2008 -- Question: Are there other common differences in the nonverbal behavior of a person on the autism spectrum?

Answer: In comparison to typically developing adults, adolescents, children, folks on the autism spectrum will have more difficulty with nonverbal communication to the extent that eye contact is difficult, that they have trouble reading body language. They have trouble with expressing body language to the same extent that some typically developing person might. So for example, typically developing people use a lot of hand gestures -- pointing, gesturing and so forth. Many of the autistic folks seem to have a reduction in that kind of behavior.