Glossary

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Pragmatics(also: Pragmatic Language)

The social use of language—how context, relationship, and conversational norms affect what we say and how we interpret others. Pragmatics includes understanding implied meaning, adjusting speech for different audiences, taking turns in conversation, and recognizing non-literal…

Reciprocity(also: Conversational Reciprocity, Social Reciprocity)

The back-and-forth exchange of information, questions, and responses that characterizes natural conversation. Reciprocity includes components like asking questions, responding appropriately, giving feedback, and sharing information in ways that maintain conversational flow.…

Restricted Interests(also: Circumscribed Interests, Special Interests, Focused Interests)

A characteristic of autism spectrum disorder where individuals develop intense, narrowly focused interests in specific topics, objects, or activities. These interests may be unusual in their subject matter (such as specific letters, numbers, or mechanical objects) or in their…

Scaffolded interaction(also: Structured interaction, Guided interaction)

A design approach where technology provides structured support that gradually guides users through increasingly complex social or cognitive tasks, with the system mechanics enforcing desired behaviours rather than merely encouraging them. In autism interventions, scaffolded…

Self-Management(also: Self-Management Intervention, Self-Management Strategy)

Self-management is a behavioral intervention approach in which individuals learn to independently monitor, evaluate, and modify their own behavior to achieve specific goals. In disability contexts, self-management strategies are widely used to help individuals with autism and…

Self-Scaffolding

Self-scaffolding is a process in which learners independently create their own support structures to achieve objectives they would not have reached without that support. Unlike traditional scaffolding, which is provided by teachers or designed into tools, self-scaffolding…

Sensory Processing(also: Sensory Integration, Sensory Processing Differences)

Sensory processing refers to the way the nervous system receives, organizes, and responds to sensory input from the environment, including sound, light, touch, smell, taste, and movement. When sensory processing works differently — as is common in autistic individuals and people…

Sensory Processing Sensitivity(also: SPS, Sensory Processing Differences)

Sensory Processing Sensitivity refers to differences in how an individual perceives, filters, and responds to sensory input across modalities such as vision, sound, touch, taste, and proprioception. It is commonly elevated in autistic people, but also occurs in people with ADHD,…

Sensory Sensitivity(also: Sensory Sensitivities, Hyper-/Hyposensitivity)

Heightened or reduced responses to sensory input including sounds, lights, textures, tastes, and smells. Sensory sensitivity is common among autistic people, with approximately 74% experiencing atypical sensory processing. Hypersensitivity (over-responsiveness) may cause…

Shutdown(also: Autistic Shutdown)

A response to overwhelming sensory, emotional, or cognitive input in which an autistic person withdraws or retreats from their environment. Unlike meltdowns (which are outward expressions of distress), shutdowns involve a reduction in communication, interaction, and…

Social Communication(also: Social-Communication, Pragmatic Communication)

The use of language and nonverbal behavior in social contexts, encompassing skills such as taking turns in conversation, adjusting communication style based on the listener or situation, understanding nonliteral language, and interpreting social cues. Difficulties with social…

Social Motor Synchrony(also: Interpersonal Synchrony, Motor Synchrony)

The spontaneous or intentional coordination of body movements between two or more people during social interaction, such as matching rhythms, mirroring gestures, or moving in temporal alignment. Social Motor Synchrony is considered an important indicator of social engagement and…

Social Responsiveness Scale(also: SRS-2, SRS)

A standardized questionnaire used to measure the severity of autism spectrum symptoms in individuals aged 2.5 years through adulthood. The SRS-2 assesses social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, and restricted interests/repetitive behaviors.…

Social Skills Intervention(also: Social Skills Training, SST, Social Skills Therapy)

Structured approaches to teaching social interaction skills to individuals who experience difficulties in social situations, commonly used with people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, or social anxiety. Interventions may include direct instruction, modeling, role-playing,…

Social Skills Training(also: SST, Social Skills Intervention)

A behavioral intervention approach that teaches interpersonal skills through instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. For individuals with autism spectrum disorder or social communication difficulties, social skills training may address areas like initiating…

Social Stories(also: Social Narratives)

Short, structured narratives developed by Carol Gray that describe social situations, expected behaviors, and appropriate responses in a clear, visual format. Social stories are widely used as therapeutic and educational tools for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and…

Social Story(also: Social Stories, Social Narrative)

A brief, personalized narrative written to help individuals with autism or other developmental disabilities understand and navigate social situations, transitions, or new experiences. Social stories are typically written from the first-person perspective and include photographs…

Special Interest(also: Hyperfocus Interest, Intense Interest)

A special interest is a deep, focused, and often long-lasting passion for a specific topic, activity, or subject area, commonly experienced by autistic individuals. Special interests go beyond typical hobbies in their intensity and depth of knowledge, and they can be a source of…

Special Interest Areas(also: SIAs, Circumscribed Interests, Intense Interests)

Special interest areas (SIAs) refer to the intense, focused interests that are characteristic of many autistic individuals. While traditionally viewed through a deficit lens as "restricted" or "repetitive" behaviours, strengths-based approaches recognize SIAs as powerful…

Speech-Like Vocalization(also: SLV)

A sound produced by a person that can be phonetically transcribed based on the conventions of a spoken language, distinguishing it from non-speech-like vocalizations such as grunts, screeches, or vocal stereotypies. In speech development research, particularly for nonverbal or…

Stimming(also: Self-Stimulatory Behavior, Stim)

Repetitive movements, sounds, or behaviors that serve self-regulatory functions, commonly associated with autism but present in all people to varying degrees. Examples include hand-flapping, rocking, spinning, humming, fidgeting, and repeating words or phrases. From a…

Stimulus Over-Selectivity(also: Over-Selective Attention, Tunnel Vision Attention)

A phenomenon where an individual attends to a limited subset of available stimuli while ignoring other relevant cues in their environment. Stimulus over-selectivity is commonly observed in autistic individuals and people with intellectual disabilities, and has significant…

TEACCH(also: Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children)

A comprehensive, evidence-based programme for supporting people with autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan, developed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Rather than a single method, TEACCH is a framework that uses structured teaching — organising the…

Unmasking(also: Autistic Unmasking)

The process of reducing or stopping the suppression of autistic behaviors and traits that occurs during masking. Unmasking involves allowing oneself to express authentic autistic characteristics—such as stimming, direct communication styles, or atypical emotional…

Video Modelling(also: Video Modeling, Video Self-Modelling)

Video modelling is a teaching strategy that uses video recordings to demonstrate desired behaviours, skills, or social interactions, which the viewer can then observe and imitate. In autism education, video modelling is particularly effective because it leverages the visual…

Video modeling(also: Video-based modeling, Video self-modeling)

An evidence-based instructional strategy that uses video recordings to demonstrate target behaviors, social skills, or task sequences, which the viewer then imitates. For children with autism, video modeling leverages often-strong visual processing abilities to teach social…

Visual Schedule(also: Picture Schedule, Activity Schedule)

A visual representation of a sequence of activities or steps that an individual is expected to complete, using pictures, symbols, photographs, or written words arranged in chronological order. Visual schedules are widely used in educational and therapeutic settings for autistic…

Visual Supports(also: Visual Aids, Visual Cues)

Pictures, symbols, photographs, written words, objects, or other visual items used to support communication, learning, and behaviour in individuals with developmental disabilities, particularly autism. Visual supports leverage the strong visual processing abilities common among…

Vocal Stereotypy(also: Vocal Stereotypies, Vocal Stim)

Repetitive, non-functional vocalizations that serve no apparent communicative purpose, commonly observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Vocal stereotypies may include repetitive humming, squealing, echolalia (repeating heard…