ABSTRACT
Autism is biologically based, and is characterised by a 'triad of impairments'. This affects a person's ability to use and understand social communication and social interaction, and to be flexible in their thinking, behaviour and use of imagination. In addition, there will issues related to hypo- or hyper-sensitivity to sensory stimuli. There are also implications in connection with motivation and generalisation. It is widely recognised that pupils across the full ability range may have this lifelong disorder and many may have additional special educational needs (SEN). The term 'autism' or 'on the autistic spectrum' refer to all pupils who are at some point along the autistic continuum and therefore, will include those with Asperger's syndrome, autism, semantic pragmatic disorder, and pathological demand avoidance syndrome. These difficulties are seen as a continuum and the degree to which pupils are affected will vary significantly.
