Below is a brief description of the separate diagnoses that make up the Autism Spectrum.

Adderall: A pharmaceutical-psycho stimulant used primarily to treat ADHD.

Alpha Lipoic Acid: Alpha-lipoic acid works together with other antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. It is important for growth, helps to prevent cell damage, and helps the body rid itself of harmful substances.

Aphasia: Total or partial loss of the power to use or understand words, usually caused by brain disease or injury.

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): Behavior analysis is a scientific approach to understanding behavior and how it is affected by the environment. With Autism, it's a style of teaching which uses a series of trials to shape a desired behavior or response. Skills are broken down into their simplest components and then taught to the child through a system of reinforcement.

Apraxia: A motor disorder that results in complete or partial loss of the ability to perform complex muscular movements. Verbal apraxia, or apraxia of speech, is impairment in the sequencing of speech sounds.

Asperger's Syndrome (AS): One of several autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by difficulties in social interaction and by restricted stereotyped interests and activities. Unlike other ASD disorders, individuals with Asperger's Syndrome have no general delay in language or cognitive development.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A condition characterized with core symptoms including developmentally inappropriate [k1]degrees of attention, hyperactivity, impulsive behavior, distractibility, and impulsivity. Secondary symptoms can include perceptual and emotional immaturity, poor social skills, disruptive behaviors and academic problems.[k2]

Atypical Autism: A general diagnosis used when core autistic behaviors are present but the full set of criteria for autism are not fully met.

Auditory Integration Training (AIT): A technique used to address the sensory problems such as hearing distortions, hyper-acute hearing, and sensory processing anomalies, which are said to cause discomfort and confusion in persons suffering from learning disabilities, including ASD.

Augmentative Communication: Augmentative strategies assist people with severe communication disabilities to participate more fully in their social roles with the use of aids, for example, photographs and picture exchange .

Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC): A diagnostic device for autism a behavior checklist, completed by a parent, which appear to be capable of measuring the level of autistic behaviors in individuals. Not as accurate as the ADOS or ADI.

Autism Diagnostic Interview-R (ADI): A structured[k3] interview for parents used for diagnosing autism, planning treatment, and distinguishing autism from other developmental disorders. The interview contains 93 items and focuses on behaviors in three content areas or domains quality of social interaction, communication/language, and repetitive, restricted and stereotyped interests and behavior.

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS): A standardized, semi-structured play session/assessment that allows the examiner to observe communicative and social behaviors that are associated with autism. The ADOS requires 20-30 minutes to administer and tends to be used in conjunction with the ADI-R.

Autistic Savant: An autistic individual who displays one or two extraordinary skills not exhibited by most persons (e.g. amazing mathematical or artistic ability).

Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD): A group of developmental disabilities that includes autism and similar diagnoses such as Asperger's Syndrome and PDD-NOS.[k4]

Aversives: Behavioral methods that gives negative consequences for 'undesired' behaviors rather than positive reinforcement.

Bayley: The Bayley Scales measure the mental and motor development and test behavior of infants from one to forty-two months of age. The Scales may be used to describe the current developmental functioning of infants and to assist in diagnosis and treatment planning for infants with developmental delays or disabilities.

Berard's Therapy: Dr Berard developed AIT (Auditory Integration Training) from the original Tomatis based methods.

Biofeedback: A form of alternative therapy in which individuals are taught to control various physiological functions (e.g. heart rate, breathing etc) often through a computer interface.

Casein: A form of protein found in cow's milk products (e.g. cheese, yogurt, etc). Casein has been linked to negative effects with people with autism where the body has been unable to break down the casein in their digestive systems and therefore has a negative reaction on the body.

Chelation: Medical process that administrates agents to remove heavy metals from the body.

Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS): A brief rating scale that measures autism in children. The CARS distinguishes mild to moderate to severe autism and is suitable to any child over 2 years old. The child is rated in 15 areas on a scale up to 4, yielding a total of up to 60. Ranges are then considered to be non-autistic, autistic or severely autistic.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-III, DSM-III-R, DSM-IV): The official handbook that lists different categories of mental disorders and the criteria for diagnosing them, for mental health professionals. It's prepared and published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Discrete Trials: A teaching method which has three distinct parts e.g. a direction - a behavior - a consequence. Many discrete trial programs rely heavily on directions or commands as the signal to begin the discrete trial.

Dyspraxia: A term that refers to a specific disorder in the area of motor skill development. People with dyspraxia have difficulty planning and completing intended fine motor tasks. Dyspraxia can affect different areas of functioning, varying from simple motor tasks such as waving goodbye to more complex tasks like brushing teeth.

Early Childhood Intervention (ECI): State-funded programs designed[k5] to provide aid to children with physical or developmental challenges. Although eligibility begins at birth, the cutoff age is dependent on the program (generally between the ages of three and five).

Echolalia: A common feature of speech in people with autism. Words or phrases heard previously are repeated either immediately or much later, delayed echolalia can occur days later.

Electroencephalogram (EEG): The measurement of electrical activity produced by the brain. Its recorded by electrodes placed on the scalp and is often used to diagnose seizure disorders or to look for abnormal brain wave patterns.

Etiology: The study of the causes/origins of disorders and diseases (Aetiology in the UK).

Facilitated communication: Facilitated Communication (FC) is a communication strategy used by those who were previously unable to communicate by speech or signs due to autism, mental retardation, brain damage, or such diseases as cerebral palsy. Facilitated communication training is a strategy for teaching people who need to augment their speech to use communication aids with their hands. Proponents of this method argue that some people with autism eventually learn to communicate complicated thoughts, others believe that the facilitator is doing the communicating.

Floortime: A therapy for autism, based on the research of Dr. Stanley Greenspan.

Fragile X Syndrome: an inherited gene condition which can cause mental retardation. It shares many of the characteristics of autism.

GFCF Diet: Gluten and Casein Free diet often used in the treatment of autism due to intolerance of both Gluten and Casein.

Gluten: A form of protein found in rye, wheat, and barley. Many children with autism show an intolerance to gluten and are not able to digest it properly.

Haloperidol: A tranquilizing drug that has been found to decrease symptoms of agitation, hyperactivity, aggression.

Higashi School: School of autism in Boston, Massachusetts, employing Daily Life Therapy.

High Functioning Autism: Individuals with autism who have typical levels of language and academic skills are called 'high functioning'.

Holding Therapy: A therapy that consists of forced holding of an autistic child by parent or therapist for a fixed time period or until the child stops resisting.

Hug Machine: Developed by Temple Grandin to deliver deep touch pressure to help learn to tolerate touching and to reduce anxiety and nervousness.

Hyperlexia: The main characteristics of hyperlexia are an above normal ability to read coupled with a below normal ability to understand spoken language. Many of the social difficulties seen in hyperlexic individuals are similar to those found in autism.

Hypotonia: A medical term used to describe decreased muscle tone (the amount of resistance to movement in a muscle). Hypotonia may be caused by trauma, environmental factors, or by genetic, muscle, or central nervous system disorders, such as Down syndrome, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, etc.

Individualized Educational Plan (IEP): A special service that can provide individualized instruction and programs in public schools, free of charge to the families of children with delayed skills or skills advanced for their age level.

International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (ICD-10 currently): The ICD has become the international standard diagnostic classification for all general epidemiological and many health management purposes.

Joint Attention: The ability to follow another person's gaze to understand what they are focused on and to use eye contact to draw someone's attention to an activity or object.

Karyotype: An organized profile of a person's chromosomes. Chromosomes are arranged and numbered by size, from largest to smallest. This arrangement helps scientists quickly identify chromosomal alterations that may result in a genetic disorder.

Ketogenic Diet: The ketogenic diet is a special high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that helps to control seizures in some people with epilepsy.

Landau-Kleffner Syndrome: A childhood disorder. A major feature of LKS is the gradual or sudden loss of the ability to understand and use spoken language and usually occurs between the ages of 3-7. It is accompanied by seizure activity and is typically diagnosed through a sleep EEG.

Macrocephaly: A condition in which the head or cranial capacity is abnormally large.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): A medical procedure that uses the magnetic qualities of body chemicals to produce an image of the brain.

Mainstreaming: A term that refers to the practice of educating students with special needs in regular classes during specific time periods based on their skills.

Microcephaly: A condition in which the head or cranial capacity is abnormally small.

Neurofeedback: A variety of biofeedback which focuses on feeding back information about brain activity, making it possible to train neuronal activity.

Neuroleptic: An anti-psychotic, tranquilizing drug that may produce a state of apathy, lack of initiative and limited range of emotion.

Neurologist: A medical doctor who has trained in the diagnosis and treatment of nervous system disorders, including diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles.

Neurotypical: A term used for neurologically typical people who carry no diagnosis.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): An anxiety disorder which is characterized by having a tendency to perform certain repetitive acts or ritualistic behavior to relieve anxiety.

Occupational Therapist (OT): Trained individuals who specialize in the analysis of purposeful activity and tasks to minimize the impact of disability on independence in daily living. The occupational therapist then helps the family to cope better with the a child's challenges, by adapting the environment and teaching sub-skills of the missing developmental components.

Occupational Therapy (OT): A therapy that assists in the individual's development of fine motor skills that aid in daily living. It also can focus on sensory issues, coordination of movement, balance, and on self-help skills such as dressing, eating with a knife and fork, grooming, etc. It can also address issues pertaining to visual perception and hand-eye coordination.

Peptides: Proteins created by the incomplete breakdown of gluten and/or casein in the digestive system, thought by some researchers to be responsible for autistic symptoms.

Perseveration: The constant repetition of movement or speech, or sticking to one idea or task.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan: A scanning technique in medical research. PET measures the functioning of distinct areas of the human brain while the patient is conscience and alert.

Proprioception: The body's ability to sense its own position. This ability allows us to know where our limbs are without looking.

Refrigerator Mother: Slang jargon phrase which was used in the 1950's as a label for mothers with children with autism. It was based on an assumption that autistic behavior stems from the emotional fragility of the child's mother or the genuine lack of maternal warmth. This has now been discredited.

Regressive autism: A term used when children appear to develop normal language and social skills but then loose these before the age of three and develop autism.

Relationship Development Intervention (RDI): A parent based clinical treatment program in which parents are given the tools to teach motivation and relationship intelligence to their child.

Residual State Autism: A DSM-III (1980) category for individuals who once met the criteria for autism, but no longer do, aside from some residual traits. DSM-IV (1994) dropped the category.

Risperdal (generic name Risperidone): Risperdal, like other new antipsychotic drugs currently under development, is designed as a serotonin/dopamine antagonist. It helps manage schizophrenia's "positive symptoms" such as visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, and thought disturbances. Risperdal may also help in treating so-called "negative symptoms" such as social withdrawal, apathy, lack of motivation, and inability to experience pleasure.

SCERTS Model: A form of therapy that focuses on Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support, and is a framework and guide to directly address the core challenges experienced by children with ASD.

Secretin: A polypeptide hormone whose primary effect is to control digestion, increasing the volume and bicarbonate content of secreted pancreatic juices.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI): A type of antidepressant drug. They are designed to allow the neurotransmitter serotonin to be utilized more effectively.

Sensory Integration (SI): The way the brain processes sensory stimulation or sensation from the body and then translates that information into specific, planned, coordinated motor activity.

Serotonin: A neurotransmitter produced in the brain known to modulate mood, emotion, sleep and appetite as well as sensory perception, motor function, learning and memory.

Speech-Language Pathologist: , Trained individuals who diagnose, assess, treat, and help to prevent disorders related to speech and language, voice, and fluency and cognitive-communication

Stim: Short for 'self-stimulation', a term for a behavior which purpose seems to be to stimulate their senses. Many autistic people say that some 'self-stims' may serve a regulatory function for them (i.e. calming, increasing concentration, or shutting out an overwhelming sound).

T.E.A.C.C.H. (Treatment and Education of Autism and Related Communication Handicapped Children): This is a therapy based on the idea that autistic individuals effectively use and understand visual cues. It focuses on promoting independence by using items like picture schedules to break down tasks step-by-step. This better enables an individual to understand and perform the task on their own.

Theory of Mind: A specific cognitive ability to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions different from their own.

Thimerosal: A Mercury-containing organic compound used as a preservative in a number of biological and drug products believed by some to be the one of the causes of autism.

Tourette's Syndrome: A neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. The onset is before age 18 and the disturbance causes marked distress or significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Tuberous Sclerosis: A rare, multi-system genetic disease that causes benign tumors to grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. It usually affects the central nervous system and results in a combination of symptoms including seizures, developmental delay, behavioral problems, skin abnormalities, and kidney disease.

Vineland Adaptive Behavioral Scales (VABS): A scale that assesses an individual's daily functioning. They can be used as an evaluation tool to diagnose individuals who are mentally retarded or who have other handicaps.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised (WAIS-R): An individually administered clinical instrument for assessing the intellectual ability of adults aged 16-74. The individual's performance on various measures is summarized into 3 components - the verbal, perceptual-motor or performance, and the full scale IQ. These scores provide estimates of the individual's level of functioning. The scores are normally distributed, with a mean (average score) of 100 and a standard deviation of 15 (meaning that an average IQ is between 85 and 115).

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III): An individually administered measure of intelligence intended for assessing the intellectual functioning of a child aged 6 years to 16 years and 11 months.

Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence - Revised (WPPSI-R): A clinical instrument similar to the WISC-III and the WAIS-R, except for children ages 3-0 to 7-0.

William's Syndrome: A rare genetic condition which causes medical and developmental problems. It shows a wide variation in ability from person to person which causes learning disabilities[k6]. More common in people with autism.

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