Autism

A student displays autism when:

1. Through evaluation that includes a review of medical records, observation of the child’s behavior across multiple environments, and an in-depth social history, the following behaviors are documented:
   1. Disturbances of speech, language-cognitive, and nonverbal communication: The student displays abnormalities that extend beyond speech to many aspects of the communication process. Communicative language may be absent or, if present, language may lack communicative intent. Characteristics may involve both deviance and delay. There is a deficit in the capacity to use language for social communication, both receptively and expressively.
   2. Disturbance of the capacity to relate appropriately to people, events, or objects: The student displays abnormalities in relating to people, objects, and events. There is a deficit in the capacity to form relationships with people. The capacity to use objects in an age appropriate or functional manner may be absent, arrested, or delayed. The student may seek consistency in environmental events to the point of exhibiting rigidity in routines.
2. The condition adversely affects the student’s educational performance.
3. The autism is not a result of an emotional disability as defined by Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education eligibility criteria.
    

Other behaviors which the student may exhibit include:

1. Disturbance of developmental rates and sequences: The student may also exhibit delays, arrests, or regressions in physical, social, or learning skills. Areas of precocious skill development may also be present, while other skills may develop at normal or extremely depressed rates. The order of skill acquisition frequently does not follow normal developmental patterns.
2. Disturbances of responses to sensory stimuli: The student’s behavior may also range from being hyperactive to being unresponsive to people and objects in their environment and can alternate between these two states over periods ranging from hours to months. Disturbances may be apparent in auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and kinesthetic responses. The student may respond to stimulation inappropriately and in repetitive or nonmeaningful ways.