When researching Autism I found that there is no specific way to know whether a child has autism as it can be a number of different factors- this also includes behaviours:
'Until 2013, doctors tried to distinguish between the different varieties of autism by using one of four different diagnoses on the spectrum:
Autism – the Defining Disorder of the Spectrum
Asperger’s Syndrome (a milder form of autism)
Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS, or atypical autism)
Here's an example that illustrates some of the problems with that system:
Take the case of Jennifer. She had a major speech delay, but has overcome it and speaks with only the slightest of impediments. She is socially aloof, preferring to be left alone to line up her My Little Ponies in a specific order, and she tantrums when anyone interferes with her solitude. Jennifer was diagnosed with autism.
Kyle talked on time but has trouble interpreting figures of speech. He is very clumsy, can't interact with his classmates successfully at all, and is obsessed beyond reason with the Angry Birds video game. Kyle was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.
Despite different labels, are Jennifer and Kyle really so different?
Scientists decided they weren't. They reached a consensus that the four disorders that made up the old spectrum "are actually a single condition with different levels of symptom severity in two core domains."2 Those domains are "1) deficits in social communication and social interaction and 2) restricted repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities (RRBs)." RRBs are perhaps the most well-known, and puzzling features, of autism, such as hand-flapping, rocking, lining up toys, finger-flicking or staring at the whirling blades of a fan.'
http://iancommunity.org/about-autism-spectrum-disorder
Autism is incredibly complex and there are all different ways in which children and adults with autism behave. From reading information such as the small amount of text above it has allowed me to gain a further understanding that autism isn't just one disorder with one set of symptoms it is intact a whole range of different symptoms in different people.
'Labels such as mild, moderate or severe ASD do not always tell us all that much about any one person's functioning. It is not even so simple a thing as deciding where someone falls “on the spectrum,” because each individual is differently abled in different areas. One person may have a lower IQ, but fewer sensory issues and less obsessiveness, for example, while another may have a higher IQ, but severe sensory issues and major fixations on rituals or special topics. Which one, then, is “higher” functioning? Which one is “lower”?
What is important, above all, is to see each person with autism spectrum disorder as an individual first. Each person has their specific set of strengths and weaknesses, and beyond that mere tally of ability, their own personality, spirit, and will. Honoring that must always come first.'
http://iancommunity.org/about-autism-spectrum-disorder
From discussion I have been having with others to move forward with this research project I need to define my possible intentions for what I could create for the second part of this brief. As Autism is complex and there are many different approaches to creating a graphic response about this disorder I have listed a few possible directions:
So therefore the different audiences for whatever I make could be: people who have autism, teachers or professionals who want to educate themselves, the general public by creating awareness and also parents of children who have autism.
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