Signs Of Autism

Autism is basically a brain development disorder that is congenital in nature i.e. it affects a person right from birth. The symptoms of autism, mainly comprising of impaired social interaction and communication and restricted and repetitive behavior, are usually noticed in a child, by his/her parents, within the first three years of his/her life. However, its symptoms and severity differ greatly in two children. While in some children, the symptoms appear in his or her early infancy, it gradually develops in the few years of childhood in others. The child will not like to be held, will not maintain eye contact, learn talking at a much later age than other children, and so on. In this era when there is an alarming growth of autism in kids, young parents must essentially do an autism diagnose tests in their kids. In case you want to know more about the signs of autism, the list given below will surely prove to be informative.

Early Signs & Symptoms Of Autism

Symptoms in Babies and Toddlers

No big or warm smiles or joyful expression even by six months or thereafter.
No sharing of smiles, sounds or facial expressions by nine months.
No jabbering by twelve months
No gestures such as showing, pointing, waving or reaching by twelve months.
No verbal communication by 16 months.
No uttering of meaningful words or phrases by twenty four months.
Signs of any loss of speech, social skills or babbling at a certain age.

Self-stimulatory Behaviors

Flapping of hands
Swaying back and forth
Flicking of finger
Spinning in a circle
Banging of head
Unusual staring at lights
Repeating sounds, noises and words
Spinning objects
Spinning wheel
Watching moving objects
Scratching
Moving the fingers in front of the eyes
Tapping of ears
Lining up of toys

Symptoms in Pre-School and School-Going Children

Social Skills

Failure to respond to his/her name
Poor eye contact
Appears not to hear
Resistance to cuddling and holding
Unaware of others' feelings
Prefer to play alone for hours without any guidance or supervision
Retreating into his or her "own world"
Lack of response to others
Failure to establish friendships with same-age children
Lack of empathy
Lack of interest in those activities which interests other children such as sports, fashion, music and hanging out.
Inability to understand gestures such as respecting other’s privacy though they do get upset when their privacy is invaded.

Language/ Communication

Learning to talk much later than other children
Loss of, previously acquired, ability to say words or sentences
Avoidance of eye contact when making requests
Speaking with an abnormal tone or rhythm, say a singsong voice or robot-like speech
Inability to start a conversation or keep it going unless it is about a topic in which they find interest.
Repetition of words or phrases, verbatim, without understanding how to use them
Stereotyped and repetitive use of language
Difficulty in understanding the listener's perspective
Use facial expressions which do not match what they say.
Referring to themself as a third person like ‘he’ or ‘she’ rather than ‘I’.
Inability to be part of a two-way conversation; they talk ‘at’ someone rather than talk ’to’ the person.
Unable to adopt different tone and content for various social situations.
Difficulty in understanding humour, sarcasm, metaphors or figures of speech.

Behavior

Performance of repetitive movements, like rocking, spinning or hand-flapping
Development of specific routines or rituals
Becoming disturbed at the slightest change in routines or rituals
Being on the move constantly
Fascination with parts of an object, such as spinning wheels of a toy car
Unusual sensitivity to light, sound and touch
Unmindful of pain
Indifference to surroundings
Lack of interest in toys
Marked reduction or increase in activity level
Frequent behavioral outbursts, tantrums
Inappropriate attachments to objects
Sustained abnormal play
Uneven motor skills
Preoccupation with certain topics
Possess an abnormal posture, move in an eccentric way and being clumsy.
Strong dislike for certain foods which is mainly based on the texture and colour of the food rather than the taste.
Hold specific interest in an activity which includes numbering or listing. This includes childhood activities such as collecting football stickers and other activities like taking interest in train time tables and reading computer manuals which does not interest children.
Tendency to change their topic of interest after a few months and even take the focus of interest to bed.
Possess tendency to indulge in temper tantrums even with a small change in the routine. This even includes cancellation of a trip to a park or to a swimming pool.
Hold interest in subjects that include figures, facts and logic and lack of attentiveness in those which demands abstract thought such as religious education and English literature.

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