Autism Symptoms
Learn the Signs & Symptoms Of Autism
Early diagnosis of autism is critically important. As a parent you never want to believe that your baby might have a problem. But when it comes to autism, the sooner a child with autism is diagnosed, the sooner they can begin treatment that will help them. With early, focused and intensive treatment, most children dramatically improve their ability to relate to other people, communicate and be self-sufficient as they grow up. But what are the symptoms of autism and how can you identify them? Are their signs of autism in infants and in toddlers that are easy to recognize?
Although autism is present at birth (it is congenital), signs of autism can be very hard to identify during a baby’s infancy. Usually, something “not quite right” is noticed first by parents sometime during the child’s first three years.
The level of severity of autism symptoms varies greatly with each child, but all people (toddlers, children, adults) have common signs of autism that show up in three specific areas:
- Social Interactions and Relationships – the inability to relate to others and the world around them.
- Verbal and Nonverbal Communication – trouble or inability to speak or verbalize.
- Limited Interests in Activities or Play – the inability to think and behave flexibly.
Early Symptoms of Autism in Babies and Toddlers:
- The small toddler does not like to be held by its parents or caregivers.
- They don’t seem to have any interest in common games like peek-a-boo.
- When they don’t begin to talk (or they begin to talk and then seem to lose their speaking skills).
- Their hearing seems off; often it seems like a child with autism doesn’t hear, yet at other times they may only seem to hear distant background noise, such as a horn honking in the distance.
Signs & Symptoms of Autism with Children in Social Interactions and Relationships:
- Problems developing non-verbal communication skills like eye-to-eye gazing, body posture and facial expressions.
- Lack of interest in sharing joy, interests or achievements with other people.
- Lack of empathy. Inability to understand another person’s feelings, their pain, their sorrow.
- The lack of interest or failure to establish friendships with children the same age.
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Signs & Symptoms of Autism with Children in Verbal and Nonverbal Communication:
- Difficulty understanding the perspective of the person they’re listening to.
- Delay in, or lack of, learning to speak. Or speaking, and then seeming to loose the ability to speak.
- Difficulty taking the steps to get a conversation started. Also, difficulty continuing to have a conversation after it’s been started.
- Repetitive language. Children with autism often repeat a word or phrase over and over again.
Signs & Symptoms of Autism with Children in Activities or Play:
- The need for a routine. Children with autism many times need to follow specific steps or sameness in their day such as always having to play with their toys the same way or always walk to school a certain route.
- Stereotypical behaviors like body rocking or hand flapping.
- Unusual preoccupation with a specific topic. For example, a child might be completely preoccupied with a group of items such as pez dispensers or bottle caps.
- A focus on pieces or parts rather than the whole. For example, a child with autism might be solely focused on the wheel of a car vs. the car or on the shoe of a doll vs. the entire doll.
Early identification of autism is up to everyone; parents, caregivers, teachers, people in the medical
profession – all of us. But parents are probably in the best position to spot the earliest warning signs of autism. Parents know their baby better than anyone and can observe something that’s “not quite right” much better than a relative or pediatrician. What can a parent do to see the signs and symptoms of autism in
their child?
Trust your instincts! It’s easy to talk things away or believe well-wishers who say everything is ok (or that it’s all in your imagination). Listen to your gut. If you think something is wrong, don’t stop until you find out for sure. Schedule an appointment with the doctor to get the answers you need.
Monitor your baby’s development. Autism involves many developmental delays, so knowing the standard milestones for social, emotional and cognitive behaviors – and knowing when your baby is not hitting them – could be an early warning sign.
Take Action If You’re Worried. All children go at their own pace and the range of what is considered “normal” is very wide. But as a parent if you think something is wrong, don’t take the “wait and see” approach. With autism, the earlier it’s detected the sooner effective help can be found. If you’re worried, share your concerns with your family, your doctor, a specialist; get whatever assistance you need to get the answers that will help you and your child.
