Autism

Symptoms

(Symptoms may start at from birth to first year old but parents may notice that something is not right until  the child is an age of 2 or 3 years old)

General symptoms

• Intellectual impairment (such as trouble with thinking, reasoning, or abstract concepts)?
• Language delays, or lack of language entirely?
• Motor problems, such as difficulty walking, clumsiness, or low tone?
• Large heads (approximately 25 percent of children with ASD have large heads)?

Infant symptoms

• May respond abnormally to being touched?
• Instead of cuddling when they are picked up, they may stiffen or go limp?
• Smiling at the sound of their mother’s voice?
• Pointing out objects to catch someone’s attention?
• Reaching out to others with their hands?
• Attempting one-syllable conversations?
• May not maintain eye contact?
• May appear unable to distinguish parents from strangers?
• Typically show little interest in others?

Toddler symptoms

• Disodered play?
• Usually ignores other children and prefers to play alone?
• Usually does not engage in make-believe play?
• May spend hours:
  • Repeatedly laying out objects in lines?
  • Sitting silently in an apparent trance-like state?
  • Concentrating on only one object or topic?

Children and Adult symptoms

• Fails to respond to his or her name or appears not to hear you at times?
• Has difficulty recognizing nonverbal cues, such as interpreting other people’s facial expressions, body postures or tone of voice?
• Resists cuddling and holding, and seems to prefer playing alone, retreating into his or her own world?
• Has poor eye contact and lacks facial expression?
• Doesn’t speak or has delayed speech, or loses previous ability to say words or sentences (disordered speech)?
• May not speak much or may remain silent?
• Doesn’t appear to understand simple questions or directions?
• Doesn’t express emotions or feelings and appears unaware of others’ feelings?
• Doesn’t point at or bring objects to share interest?
• Can’t start a conversation or keep one going, or only starts one to make requests or label items?
• When the child does speak, the words may be an echo of what another person said?
• Can’t start a conversation or keep one going, or only starts one to make requests or label items?
• Speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm and may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech (Speech patterns may be different)?
• Repeats words or phrases verbatim, but doesn’t understand how to use them (Instead of saying, “I want a sandwich,” the child may ask, “Do you want a sandwich?”)
• Repetitive behaviors:
  • Repeating the same phrase or a particular motion?
  • Clapping, finger snapping, rocking, swaying and hand flapping are common?
• Abnormal behaviors:
  • Develop obsessive routines (such as rocking, spinning-turning around before entering a room or hand flapping,Wanting to take the same route to school every day)?
  • Become intensely preoccupied with something (becomes disturbed at the slightest change)?
  • Has problems with coordination or has odd movement patterns, such as clumsiness or walking on toes, and has odd, stiff or exaggerated body language?
  • Is unusually sensitive to light, sound or touch, yet may be indifferent to pain or temperature?
  • Doesn’t engage in imitative or make-believe play?
  • Fixates on an object or activity with abnormal intensity or focus?
  • Has specific food preferences, such as eating only a few foods, or refusing foods with a certain texture?
  • Become hyperactive, aggressive, destructive or impulsive?
  • Intentionally injure themselves (such as biting or head-banging)?