In addition to all these characteristic features of autism, individuals with autism show tremendous fluctuations in behaviors (restlessness, fidgeting, alert, hyper/hypo-active, clumsy, emotional ups and downs etc) problematic in day to day life tasks; they face great challenges in using their body and body parts effectively during interaction with the human and non-human environments. One major aim of the habilitation in such disabling condition is to optimize the level of arousal, activity level and organized behavior and then to make the individual minimally self help independent to maximally productive to the society. Sensory integration therapy plays crucial role in this regard. It is assumed that once the behavior becomes organized it becomes easy to make them learn adaptive skills. This can help in accomplishing other life tasks.

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It is estimated that about 75% of children with autism have developmental delays (APA, 2000). There is also a tendency for the development to be uneven, with clear strengths and weaknesses evident. Behavioral difficulties occur in about 90% of individuals with autism, and at least 10 to 20% exhibit severe behaviors such as aggression and self-injury (Lovaas, 1987; Smith et al., 2007).

The autism spectrum disorders are more common in the pediatric population than are some better-known disorders such as diabetics, spina bifida or Down’s syndrome. Prevalent studies have been done in UK, Europe and Asia regarding the issue. Prevalence estimate range from 2 to 6 per 1000 children.
Etiology of Autism: Kanner (1943) suggested in his description about autism that from early infancy symptoms were present. So it can be said that autism is the result of an inborn defect. Kanner’s description gives rise to the role of genetic or biochemical factors behind the cause of autism. Many researches have ruled out the contribution of biochemical defect.

Some experts have claimed that certain genetic factors might be responsible for the development of autism. On the other hand, Paul’s (1987) observation confirmed that no specific genetic defect has been found out. Spence et al., (1985) reported only one genetic linkage study found in favour of autism and some statistics indicate that in families with already one autistic child, there is a great possibility of having another child susceptible to the development of the disorder.

Characteristic Features of Autism: The essential features of autistic disorder are the presence of markedly abnormal or impaired development in social interaction and communication and a markedly restricted repertoire of activity and interests. The features (triad of impairment in autism) are:
Impairment in Socialization: The most characteristic deficit in autism is the impairment in social interaction, which often presents itself as the inability to form relationships and to reciprocate. The social deficits in autism are found in basic social communicative behaviors, i.e., lack of eye contact and facial expression, in contexts in which coordination of these behaviors results in a “social-cognitive event,” such as pointing, and in reciprocal relationships. Three forms of social phenotypes have been reported in the literature: aloof, passive, and active but odd.

Impairment in Communication: Impairments in communication include both verbal and nonverbal language. There is an overlap between social skills and communication. Nonverbal communicative behaviors, such as facial expressions and eye contact are classified under the social domain. However, use of gestures, such as pointing, nodding, and showing are considered communicative behaviors. Deficits in nonverbal communication have been repeatedly reported in the autistic population. About half of autistic children are considered to be nonverbal, but this number seems to be decreasing with early intervention programs. For verbal autistic persons, there is a multitude of deficits reported, including deficits in pragmatics, variable expressive, and receptive difficulties, semantic impairments, and occasionally phonology abnormalities. Autistic patients may initiate conversation about preoccupations or routine details and some children are quite talkative, but their speech output is more like a monologue than directed communication. In other words, their language lacks a social quality. Additionally, echolalia, reversing pronouns, neologisms, abnormalities in the rhythm, and intonation have all been observed.