What is the difference between developmental delay and autism?

Autism is a social disorder that causes great difficulty in communicating with others. It can be said to be a language communication disorder. However, it should be noted that not all language communication disorders are childhood autism. There is a fundamental difference between the two. So what is the difference between developmental delay and autism?

1. In terms of definition, language delay refers to the situation where children's oral expression ability or language comprehension ability lags significantly behind the normal development level of children of the same age due to various reasons. The language development of these children has not reached the level consistent with their actual age. The language disorder of children with autism lies in their inability to understand the conversation rules in social life and the differences between themselves and others, and they cannot express themselves according to the conversation situation. They lack the ability to apply their own language to specific scenarios and are prone to repetitive language.

2. There are also differences in the causes of the two: the causes of children's language development disorders are mostly mental retardation, hearing impairment, articulation organ diseases, central nervous system diseases, poor language environment, etc.; while the causes of language disorders in autistic children may include the following aspects: brain damage or incomplete brain development, lack of meta-representation, life experience different from ordinary people, and lack of internal devices for learning language.

3. In terms of specific manifestations, children with language delay and autism are also different. If a child cannot speak due to delayed language development, he or she often has no barriers to communication. He or she can play games with friends and communicate with friends through body language. The only barrier is language expression. Moreover, they usually have no problems with learning ability. They can attend classes, listen to stories, and have a certain imagination. Compared with other children of the same age, their IQ is normal. Children with autism have obstacles in many aspects. They have no awareness and ability to communicate, and their behaviors are abnormal and they are easily excited. When communicating with these children, you often cannot get any verbal or physical response. Some of these children with autism even have language degeneration.