Six-year-old Aarav has autism spectrum disorder. Which of the followi…

Six-year-old Aarav has autism spectrum disorder. Which of the following statements about him are correct?

(A) He rarely starts play with other children and does not seem to notice when his sister is upset.
(B) He lines up his toy cars in long, neat rows again and again.
(C) He flaps his hands again and again, which is a self-injurious movement.
(D) He has learnt to speak, but his speech is repetitive and deviant.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 3

The correct answer is Option (3) → A, B and D only

(A) He rarely starts play with other children and does not seem to notice when his sister is upset. — Correct. Children with this disorder are unable to initiate social behaviour and seem unresponsive to other people's feelings.

(B) He lines up his toy cars in long, neat rows again and again. — Correct. Lining up objects is one of the repetitive behaviours that go with their narrow patterns of interest.

(C) He flaps his hands again and again, which is a self-injurious movement. — Incorrect. Hand flapping is real, but the label is wrong. It is a self-stimulatory movement. A self-injurious movement harms the child, such as banging the head against the wall.

(D) He has learnt to speak, but his speech is repetitive and deviant. — Correct. Many such children never develop speech. Those who do have repetitive and deviant speech patterns.

NCERT (2026-27): “Neurodevelopmental Disorders …
Children with autism spectrum disorder experience profound difficulties in relating to other people. They are unable to initiate social behaviour and seem unresponsive to other people’s feelings. They are unable to share experiences or emotions with others. They also show serious abnormalities in communication and language that persist over time. Many of them never develop speech and those who do, have repetitive and deviant speech patterns. Such children often show narrow patterns of interests and repetitive behaviours such as lining up objects or stereotyped body movements such as rocking. These motor movements may be self-stimulatory such as hand flapping or self-injurious such as banging their head against the wall. …”