From the start, typically developing infants are social beings. Early in life, they gaze at people, turn toward voices, grasp a finger, and even smile.

Social impairments are one of the main problems in all of the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). People with ASDs do not have merely social “difficulties” like shyness. These social problems are often combined with the other areas of deficit, such as communication skills and unusual behaviors and interests. For instance, the inability to have a back-and-forth conversation is both a social and a communication problem.

Typical infants are very interested in the world and people around them. By the first birthday, a typical toddler tries to imitate words, uses simple gestures such as waving “bye bye,” grasps fingers, and smiles at people. But the young child with autism may have a very hard time learning to interact with other people. One way very young children interact with others is by imitating actions—for instance, clapping when mom claps.  Children with ASDs may not do this, and they may not show interest in social games like peek-a-boo or pat-a-cake. Although the ability to play pat-a-cake is not an important life skill, the ability to imitate is. We learn all the time by watching others and by doing what they do—especially in new situations and in the use of language.

People with ASDs might not interact with others the way most people do. As early as infancy, a baby with autism may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time.  A child with autism may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement.  They might not be interested in other people at all. Some might want friends but have social problems that make those relationships difficult. They might not make eye contact and might just want to be alone. Many children with ASDs have a very hard time learning to take turns and share—much more so than other children. This can make other children unwilling to play with them.

People with ASDs may have problems with expression, so they might have trouble understanding other people's feelings or talking about their own feelings. Many people with ASDs are very sensitive to being touched and might not want to be held or cuddled. Self-stimulatory behaviors, common among people with ASDs, may seem odd to others or make them uncomfortable, causing them to shy away from a person with an ASD. 

Social issues such as trouble interacting with peers, saying whatever comes to mind even if it’s inappropriate, difficulty adapting to change, and even poor grooming habits can sometimes make it hard for adults with ASDs  to get and/or  keep a job at their intellectual level. Anxiety and depression, which affect some people with ASDs, can make existing social impairments even harder to manage.