| Condition | Features that may help distinguish the condition from ASD |
| Global developmental delay/intellectual disability | - Social responsiveness and communication appropriate for developmental level
|
| Intellectual giftedness | - Normal pragmatic language skills
- Intense interests are functional, varied, and can be explained by the child
- Social interaction is generally enjoyed
|
| Social (pragmatic) communication disorder | - Absence of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
|
| Developmental language disorder | - Normal reciprocal social interactions
- Normal desire and intent to communicate
- Appropriate imaginative play
|
| Language-based learning disorder | - Normal reciprocal social interactions
- Normal desire and intent to communicate
- Appropriate imaginative play
- Pragmatic language more typical than in ASD
- Desire to communicate (even if competency is lacking)
|
| Nonverbal learning disorder | - Impairment in social skills and pragmatic language milder than in ASD
- Lack of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
|
| Hearing impairment | - Normal reciprocal social interactions
- Normal eye-to-eye gaze
- Facial expressions indicate intention to communicate
|
| Landau-Kleffner syndrome | - Usually have typical development until approximately 3 to 6 years of age
- Typically presents with auditory verbal agnosia (behaving as if deaf)
|
| Rett syndrome | - Female predominance
- Head growth deceleration
- Stereotypic hand movements
- Gait abnormalities
- Abnormal respiratory pattern
|
| Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder | - Characteristic facial features (not always present):
- Short palpebral fissures
- Thin vermillion border
- Smooth philtrum
|
| Attachment disorder | - History of severe neglect or mental health issues in caregiver
- Social deficits tend to improve in appropriate caregiving environment
|
| Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder | - Normal pragmatic language skills
- Normal nonverbal social behavior
- Normal imaginative play
- Lack of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities
|
| Anxiety disorder (includes social anxiety and selective mutism) | - Normal nonverbal social behavior and imaginary play
- Lack of circumscribed interests
- Absence of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities
|
| Obsessive compulsive disorder | - Normal social skills
- Normal pragmatic language
- Symptoms are a source of anxiety rather than a pleasure
|
| Stereotypic movement disorder | - Normal social skills
- Normal pragmatic language
|
| Tic disorder/Tourette syndrome | - Normal social skills
- Normal pragmatic language
|
