A child may keep up with a lesson but struggle when the routine changes without warning; an adult may need quiet to focus during a meeting. Situations like these help explain why ASD looks different from person to person.
Recognizing signs is a first step, but diagnosis and support depend on an individual evaluation.
Support improves when schools, families, and professionals focus on a person’s specific needs instead of assuming the same expectations apply to everyone. This applies to children, as well as teens and adults seeking to understand experiences that go back many years.
What is ASD, and what characterizes autism?
ASD stands for autism spectrum disorder, a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent differences in communication and social interaction, along with restricted or repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. In everyday life, this can affect how a person talks with others, handles change, and experiences sensory input. Support needs vary from person to person.
The term “spectrum” describes this diversity; it is not a single scale that determines intelligence, language, or independence. Two autistic people can have very different profiles, and the same person may need more support in some settings than in others. Diagnosis considers the full range of characteristics and their impact on daily life, using clinical criteria such as those in the DSM-5-TR. Autism is lifelong, but that does not mean a person’s abilities or support needs stay the same. Learning, experience, accommodations, and changes in context all affect participation. For an explanation focused on the school setting, see our article on what ASD stands for: autism spectrum disorder.
Signs of ASD at different stages of life
Signs may appear in childhood, although some people are not diagnosed until adolescence or adulthood. A person’s way of communicating and interacting may differ from what is expected for their age, and repetitive patterns or intense interests may also be part of the picture.
No single sign confirms autism.
- Communication and interaction: difficulty interpreting gestures, facial expressions, indirect hints, or unwritten social rules; conversations that tend to focus on topics of interest; or differences in the use of speech. Nonspeaking people may communicate through gestures, pictures, or devices.
- Routines and repetition: a need for predictability, repetitive movements, repeating words, or significant distress when unexpected changes occur.
- Interests: a deep focus on particular subjects or activities, which can be a source of enjoyment and knowledge but may also make it harder to switch to other tasks.
- Sensory experiences: sensitivity to or seeking out sounds, lights, smells, textures, tastes, or movement. A noisy setting may be exhausting for one person and have little effect on another.
At school, a common example is difficulty that arises not during the activity itself, but when a class suddenly moves to another room or instructions change. Giving advance notice, showing the day’s schedule, and checking whether directions were understood can help identify barriers without assuming the student is being “defiant.”
The list above can guide observation; it is not a tool for self-diagnosis.
How does diagnosis work, and what do ICD codes mean?
Diagnosis is clinical and considers a person’s developmental history, observed characteristics, and the impact of those characteristics across different areas of life. No blood test or brain scan can confirm autism on its own.
Pediatricians, psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and other professionals may be involved, depending on the case and the scope of practice for each profession.
A thorough evaluation gathers information from more than one source, such as family members, school staff, and the person being evaluated, when possible. It also considers alternative explanations and conditions that may occur alongside autism. A team evaluation is not required in every case; the process depends on the situation, local availability, and whether additional assessment is needed.
ICD codes record diagnostic categories in classification systems. They do not replace an evaluation or, by themselves, explain a person’s support profile. The World Health Organization’s ICD-11 classifies autism under code 6A02, with further subdivisions. In the ICD-10, autism-related diagnoses appear under category F84, which includes several classifications.
System Reference How to interpret it ICD-10 F84 Category covering pervasive developmental disorders; F84.0 is one of the subcategories used in records. ICD-11 6A02 Category for autism spectrum disorder, with subdivisions that consider factors such as intellectual development and functional language.
Which versions are adopted and how codes are recorded may vary between providers and classification systems. If a document lists F84 or 6A02, ask the professional responsible to explain what the code means in the context of the evaluation. The official classification is available in the World Health Organization’s ICD-11.
What treatments and supports may help?
Care should address the person’s needs and goals, with interventions that have a clinical rationale and are provided by qualified professionals. Speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, psychological support, and family guidance may be considered, depending on the person’s profile. There is no one combination that works for every autistic person.
When choosing a service, ask which skills will be addressed, how goals will be set with the person and their family, and how progress will be measured. Appropriate intervention respects communication, dignity, and autonomy. Be wary of promises of a cure, methods that blame the family, or recommendations to stop medical care without an evaluation.
Can people with ASD take sertraline?
Some autistic people may be prescribed sertraline for specific conditions, such as anxiety or depression, but the decision should be made by the doctor evaluating the case. The medication does not treat the core characteristics of autism and may cause side effects; dosage, interactions, and monitoring should be discussed with the prescriber. Do not start, stop, or change how you take it on your own.
A useful support plan starts with what a person needs to participate in daily life and revisits those needs over time.
Health, co-occurring conditions, and well-being
Autistic people may have co-occurring conditions, such as epilepsy, sleep difficulties, anxiety, depression, or gastrointestinal problems, but these do not affect everyone. Changes in behavior may also signal pain, fatigue, sensory overload, or difficulty communicating discomfort. Looking into the cause can help prevent a health problem from being automatically attributed to autism.
Care may involve primary care providers, mental health professionals, and specialists, depending on the symptoms. In Brazil, general information and guidance are available from the Ministry of Health (Brazil’s federal health agency). Access to services and the organization of care vary by region; a person’s care team can explain what options are available locally.
There is no cure for autism, and there is no clinical reason to treat autistic identity as something to eliminate. Care can support communication, well-being, participation, and management of co-occurring conditions. A strategy may help in one setting but not another, so its effectiveness should be reviewed with the person and adjusted as needed.
School inclusion, rights, and social participation
At school, inclusion means more than enrollment: it involves creating conditions that allow students to access activities, communicate their needs, and participate in school life. Law No. 12,764/2012 established the National Policy for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a Brazilian law. The law provides a point of reference; how it applies in practice depends on the circumstances and relevant regulations.
The Berenice Piana Law recognizes autistic people as people with disabilities for legal purposes. To put this principle into practice, families and schools can document barriers and agree on specific measures, such as:
- giving advance notice of routine changes with reminders, a visual schedule, or written instructions;
- providing a quieter space or breaks when sensory overload occurs, without using time away as punishment;
- breaking long tasks into steps and checking whether instructions were understood;
- agreeing on accessible ways to communicate and coordinating strategies between school staff and family while protecting the student’s privacy.
These measures should be evaluated based on their effect on participation and learning, not applied as a one-size-fits-all package. Technology, including artificial intelligence, can support communication or organization, but it requires supervision, attention to privacy, and fit with the student’s needs. The same approach to clear communication is explored further in communication; for questions about health coverage, see our information on health insurance.
Barriers can also arise at work and in other social settings. Adjustments to communication, predictability, and the environment can support participation, but they should be discussed with the person, who knows their needs and preferences best.
How to seek guidance and evaluate information about ASD
If persistent signs are affecting daily life, write down specific examples: what happened, where it happened, how often, and what support seemed to help. Bring these observations to a health care provider or qualified professional to discuss an evaluation. For children, information from family and school can reveal differences across settings; for adults, accounts of childhood may also be useful when available.
When evaluating information or a proposed treatment, look for the original source, the credentials of the person sharing it, and the quality of the evidence. Materials from Brazil’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and legal texts can help verify guidance and rights. Claims of a cure, guaranteed results, or theories that attribute autism to a single cause call for caution, especially when paired with product sales or advice to abandon evidence-based care.
The next step can be simple: organize your observations and schedule an appointment to discuss them. If there is already a diagnosis, the practical question is which barriers are affecting participation now and what support can be tried and monitored.
Frequently asked questions
Is ASD a disease?
It is a neurodevelopmental condition, not an infection or something a person can “catch.” A person may need support and may also have health conditions that require their own evaluation.
Does every autistic person have difficulty speaking?
No. Some people speak fluently, others use limited speech, and some do not speak. Communication may also take place through gestures, writing, pictures, or augmentative and alternative communication devices.
Can someone be diagnosed in adulthood?
Yes. An evaluation can take place at any stage of life and considers developmental history and current characteristics. A lack of childhood records may make some parts of the assessment more difficult, but it does not, by itself, make an evaluation impossible.
Can an online symptom checklist confirm autism?
No. Checklists and questionnaires can help organize questions, but they do not replace a clinical evaluation, which considers development, context, and other possible explanations.
Does an ICD code indicate the level of support a person needs?
The code alone does not describe all of a person’s needs. A functional assessment and conversations with the person and their support network can help determine appropriate accommodations and services.
Can diets or supplements treat autism?
There is no basis for recommending diets or supplements as a cure for autism. Dietary restrictions can pose nutritional risks; discuss changes to diet or supplements with health care professionals, especially if symptoms are present or a deficiency has been diagnosed.
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