Defining Autism: Variability in State Education Agency Definitions of and Evaluations for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Table 1

Components of state education agency autism definitions.

Definition component	Number of states	Percentage
Social interaction impairment—general statement	46	90
Impaired nonverbal social	15	29
Lack of peer relationships	21	41
Lack of spontaneous joint attention	14	27
Lack of social-emotional reciprocity	18	35
Communication impairment—general statement	46	90
Impaired development of spoken language	19	37
Impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation	17	33
Stereotyped and repetitive use of language	17	33
Lack of spontaneous make-believe or social imitative play	15	29
Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors and interests—general statement	2	4
Preoccupation with stereotyped interests	49	96
Nonfunctional routines or rituals	50	98
Stereotyped and repetitive mannerisms	49	96
Preoccupation with parts of objects	17	33
Other components
Onset prior to the age of three	47	92
Unusual sensory experiences	44	86
Exclusion conditions	45	88
Emotional disturbance	44	86
Intellectual/developmental delay	3	6
Pervasive developmental disorder	1	2
Rett’s disorder or childhood disintegrative disorder	1	2
Schizophrenia	1	2
Visual or hearing impairments	1	2
Coexisting conditions allowed	3	6