Describing the unusual behavior of children with autism.

The behaviors of children with autism have been described by professionals, by family members, and also by those with autism. This article analyzes four different types of reports that contain descriptions of those with autism: (1) case studies, (2) diagnostic reports and single-subject research studies, (3) family accounts, and (4) autobiographical descriptions. Authors describe the behaviors of those with autism differently depending upon their relationship with the person they are describing, their intended audience, their goals, and the genre they use for conveying their descriptions. Authors were found to use the following types of descriptions, to varying degrees in order to achieve their goals: (1) descriptions of what a child did on a particular occasion; (2) descriptions of what a child typically does or did; (3) descriptions of what a child should have done; (4) descriptions of how behavior was experienced by a child or family member; (5) descriptions of how a third party reported a behavior; (6) metaphoric descriptions of behaviors; and (7) descriptions of how behaviors mesh with traits often associated with autism. A detailed examination of how behaviors of children with autism are described indicates that the way someone with autism is regarded and described is strongly related to what the describer wants to accomplish.