Autism is a behavioral syndrome caused by a biologically determined developmental disorder, with onset in the first three years of life. The areas mainly concerned are those related to social interaction, the ability to communicate ideas and feelings, and the ability to establish relationships with others (Autism Spectrum Disorder Fact Sheet, 2015). It is considered a permanent disability, which accompanies the subject throughout the course of life, even if the characteristics of the social deficit take on an expressiveness that varies over time. Emotions, in psychology, are defined as “The subjective experience[s] of change in physiological arousal due to environmental events” (Charlton, Sobel, & Sobel, 2018, p.319). But there are also some cognitive elements that are connected to the development of emotions, in particular, there is attention, the performance of perception and memory, the meaning attributed to emotions, and the development of emotional cognition (Charlton, Sobel, & Sobel, 2018, p.319). These peculiarities are all, or almost all, generally deficient in individuals affected by autism. Emotionality -that is the variable ability to feel emotions- is associated with a series of psychological phenomena including temperament, personality, mood, and motivation (p.330). The numerous scientific evidence shows a difficulty in the recognition of facial expressions and related emotions in children and adults with autism, regardless of age and level of functioning, underlining how this aspect should be more investigated and evaluated to explain the impairments social characteristics of this disorder.
Regarding disorders of social communication, a series of difficulties may arise in socio-emotional reciprocity, in non-verbal communication behaviors and in the development and maintenance of social relationships (What are the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for autism? Autism Speaks). Therefore, being the ability to deduce the emotions of other people from their facial expressions fundamental for many aspects of social communication, deficits in the recognition of expressions have long been suggested as representative of a disability in autism spectrum disorders. The study of cognitive and communicative processes of children with autism has achieved important successes thanks to a theory according to which this disorder is characterized by a difficulty in attributing mental states to others and to oneself (Theresa Kidd, 2008). It is as if these children had a great difficulty in understanding and transmitting what we, in our common language, define emotion.
Social integration occurs when more people in relation to each other act in sequence and react to the actions of others. The dynamics that regulate our development of social interactions are numerous and complex, so much so that we often struggle to understand all the nuances and to orient ourselves in a competent manner. The process of socialization starts from early childhood and progresses during adolescence through the learning processes that lead the individual to take models of behavior similar to those of others (Charlton, Sobel, & Sobel, 2018, p.173). When a child is confronted with disability, social reciprocity is extremely difficult and it is possible that as a result of this element, that the characteristics that the child possesses at a potential level, do not develop due to the absence of opportunities. A very refined social competence is characterized by the ability to isolate oneself and keep people at a distance when needed; the isolation of a child with autism presents distinct characteristics and motivations. According to Volkmar’s tests (McParltand and Volkmar, 2013), children with autism are less successful in participating, collaborating, apologizing, getting embarrassed, borrowing, and responding appropriately to family members. In autism, the nature of these difficulties is connected to the inability to keep in mind that others think and believe different things from them; these children avoid the look and face of others, withdraw if they are touched, oppose proposals for collaboration, tend not to implement a relationship of collaboration and remain deprived of skills that concern autonomy, cognitive aspects, the language and skills of symbolic play, and imagination. According to Li Yi’s article on Eye avoidance in young children with autism spectrum disorder (2018), individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit a reduced duration of eye contact compared with typically developing (TD) individuals.
When I was in middle school, I was exposed to this kind of social difficulty as a kid affected with autism developed a special interested in me. We had never spoken and I rarely saw him around in school. I knew he had some kind of disability because he had a special need teacher, but it was not until she referred me of his feelings towards me, that I found out he was autistic. I did not know how to approach the matter because I had no education on this condition, but I promised myself I was going to say hi to him and have a conversation the next time I saw him. I soon realized that autism is not a disability like all of the others, and that the deepest layers of this disease reside in social interactions, which is exactly what I was trying to pursue. I remember him looking down every time I passed by, or running away if I ever got close to him. I did not understand what was going on, so I eventually gave up trying to interact with him. Years later, after finding out more about this disability, I realized how badly that might have affected his life and how I think it is essential for kids that age to be mindful about autism. The reason why is because an early and intensive intervention is always necessary, based on the possibility and awareness of the fact that, even if with difficulty, improvements can occur and are often of primary importance. In order to teach social skills, it is necessary to consider different aspects: know how to evaluate the social ability of the subject, understand what kind of social proximity is accepted by the subject and to adapt to his/her requests, make precise requests and never ask confusing questions or tasks, teaching to ask for something, always having great constancy, knowing how to wait for the child's initiative, following it and understanding its great importance.
Finally, autism is a neurological disorder from which it is not healed but with which one learns to live together and the school plays a decisive and very important role. A good school experience helps them to face life better equipped for the future. It is therefore imperative that the school follows them and offers appropriate support both from an academic and a social point of view. These children and young people have the right to have school experiences similar to those of their peers, they must learn to live in the world around them and the school must prepare them for it. They must feel at home in the school and be sure they are in the right environment for them, we need to help them make friends and keep social relationships outside the school environment. The school must recognize their skills and talents to help them cultivate them in order to achieve independence.