Signs and Symptoms

Just like how each person develops differently, the signs and symptoms of autism can be just as different. Not one child may have the same signs or symptoms as another, but doctors have concluded that children with autism seem to have difficulties in three areas of developing: social skills, language and behavior. Since the number of children being diagnosed with this disability is increasing, I figured that the one of the first blogs should include the signs of autism; begin where the diagnosis starts.

Children who are diagnosed as Autistic develop at an average rate for the first couple months of their lives. It may not be until they are about a year in a half old before signs and symptoms begin to show. Autistic children become less responsive to all people including those who are extremely closer to them, such as mom and dad. From there signs have been divided into three categories. This is the actually list from a Children’s Health article from MayoClinic.com.
Social skills include:

-Fails to respond to his or her name
-Has poor eye contact
-Appears not to hear you at times
-Resists cuddling and holding
-Appears unaware of others' feelings
-Seems to prefer playing alone — retreats into his or her "own world"

Language:

-Starts talking later than other children
-Loses previously acquired ability to say words or sentences
-Does not make eye contact when making requests
-Speaks with an abnormal tone or rhythm- may use a singsong voice or robot-like speech
-Can't start a conversation or keep one going
-May repeat words or phrases verbatim, but doesn't understand how to use them

Behavior:

-Performs repetitive movements, such as rocking, spinning or hand-flapping
-Develops specific routines or rituals
-Becomes disturbed at the slightest change in routines or rituals
-Moves constantly
-May be fascinated by parts of an object, such as the spinning wheels of a toy car
-May be unusually sensitive to light, sound and touch

*Signs and Symptoms may vary and all children may not experience these. Additional symptoms can occur.

Resources

MayoClinic. (2008). Autism Signs and Symptoms. Retrieved March 13, 2008 from http://www.mayoclinic.com.