Autism is a developmental disability that generally appears before the age of three and significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction. Children with autism may have significant qualitative differences in the ability to do some or all of the following:

	use and/or process meaningful spoken language and nonverbal communication cues;
	related to people and be aware of their feelings
	actively engage in social play and make peer friendships;
	develop a variety of activities or interests; and
	handle changes in routines or the environment.

The disability can affect broad areas of educational performance ranging from academic to social to behavioral. It can occur with other disabilities, but does not apply if a child's educational performance is adversely affected primarily because of the existence of an emotional disturbance.