Friday, March 22, 2024

Do Autistic Toddlers Laugh A Lot

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Signs That Your Baby May Have Autism

Ask Dr. Doreen: “What Causes Autistic Children to Laugh for No Reason?”

Most of these are that would show up between the 6 months to 1 year range. Before that, many of these may not show up at all. It is also important to know that any one of these traits on its own is not a diagnosis. If your child is showing a number of these traits over the 6 month period, it is always good to see a doctor for assessment. Early diagnosis and treatment can really make a difference in skills building later on. Again this list should not be considered a diagnosis, only used as a tool to start a conversation with your doctor who can then start a proper assessment process.

  • No social smilingTypically a baby will reflexively smile back if you smile at them starting as early as the first month, but certainly by the age of 3 months. As a test you can try looking at your baby with a neutral face, and then break into a wide smile that you hold for a few seconds. You can try three or four times. A typically developing infant should smile back most if not every time.
  • Lack of eye contactMost babies are born with an innate interest in the human face, particularly their parents and family.
  • Not responding to their nameMost infants will be responding to their name when you say it by 9 months at the latest.
  • Poor visual trackingTake a brightly coloured toy and track it back and forth slowly in front of your baby. Does your child easily follow a brightly coloured toy with their eyes? Or do they seem to loose interest in it or disengage quickly?
  • When And Why Do Tics Develop

    Why exactly tics develop is still somewhat of a mystery. There are a few different types of tic disorders that can develop alongside autism.

    Tics may develop at any point in your childs life, but they often come about around puberty. Ages 11-13 see an increase in the occurrence of existing tics and see the development of totally new tics. If your child starts laughing uncontrollably around this age, its very likely a temporary tic.

    Do Autistic Children Laugh

    Yes, of course they do. What they laugh at or what they think is funny may surprise you because its never the same as what the average child may laugh at or think is funny. A high functioning child with autism can laugh at simple jokes but wont understand jokes that are a play on words or require a point of reference in order for the joke to be funny. The problems they have understanding certain aspects of descriptive language and its lack of being more concrete means that a lot of jokes just wont make sense to them.

    Lower functioning children with autism have an inner dialogue about things that parents and the other people in their lives arent privy to. These inner dialogues of theirs cause them to laugh about a toy, and event where laughter is inappropriate, or laugh at the antics of the family dog whos just rolling around on the floor. Theres not much rhyme or reason to what this group laughs about, but theres also no harm in laughing with them because you can only imagine what it is they think is so funny.

    Children formerly diagnosed with Aspergers who will be recategorized as high functioning autistics in 2013, rarely laugh or laugh at things that are completely inappropriate to laugh at. In this subset of autism, children can be a little frightening to parent s and peers because they laugh at really cruel and unpleasant things. Behavioral therapy sessions can correct this type of inappropriate sense of humor.

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    Why Do We Laugh

    I recently watched a BBC2 Horizon documentary presented by Jimmy Carr about the science of laughter.

    He did some stand up and interviewed a few academics during the programme, all of whom had devoted their careers to researching laughter what a great way to earn your bread and butter.

    Professor Sophie Scott

    Professor Sophie Scott, who happens to have a wonderfully contagious laugh, from UCL described how laughter is recognised by people of all ages, cultures and languages. Its a non verbal, universally understood, expression of emotion. What actually makes us laugh can vary a lot from culture to culture and person to person and can change over time but the laughter response is thought to have remained fairly constant since ancient days. When we laugh our intercostal muscles which control the movement of our rib cage contract causing us to squeeze air out of our lungs rapidly. If you laugh hard you can become breathless. If you get into a real fit of laughter you can end up on the floor as your muscles become unable to control your stability. This has happened to me on quite a number of occassions, particularly throughout my childhood!

    Provided that we dont actually die through oxygen deficiency, laughter is good for us. It releases endorphins which improve our immune system and generally give us that feel good factor.

    In my family though Edward notices and demands, Mum, why are you laughing? I dont see whats funny! magnifying the awkwardness of the moment 100 fold.

    Infants With Autism Smile Less At 1 Year Of Age

    The Best Sensory Fidget Toys For Autistic Children ...

    For babies who cannot yet speak, smiling is key. Grins convey an infants emotional state and well-being and can help get a parents attention and care.

    A new study reports that , infants who are later diagnosed with autism smile less often than those who do not develop the disorder. That suggests that reduced smiling may be an early risk marker for the disorder.

    In the study, published 13 August in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, researchers examined 22 typically developing infants with no family history of autism and 44 infant siblings of children with the disorder. These so-called baby sibs have an increased risk for autism. In the new study, half of the 44 baby sibs later developed autism.

    The researchers followed the children over time, measuring how often and how long each infant smiled in videos taken at 6, 12 and 18 months. They videotaped the infants as a trained examiner administered a behavioral assessment called the Autism Observation Scale for Infants. They then assessed the children for autism diagnosis at age 3.

    The average duration of each childs smile increased with age, but did not differ much between the groups at any time point. Smiling frequency also increased with age, but by 12 months the infants with autism smiled less often than the other children in the study.

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    Children With Autism Dont Look At You

    Unusual eye gaze is common among many, but not all, individuals with autism.

    Typically developing children tend to instinctively look other people in the eye when talking with them. This can help them understand the other persons feelings and gain meaning during a social interaction.

    Some children with autism may not intuitively look a person in the eye when talking to them and will focus, instead, on other parts of the face or body to try to gain meaning. Studies suggest that people with autism lack this social instinct because their underlying brain circuitry which processes social information may be different.

    Girls Have Different Core Autistic Symptoms To Boys

    There is no consistent evidence that the core autistic symptoms are different in boys and girls, but there is a trend for girls to have fewer restricted and stereotyped behavioural patterns than boys. Boys, for instance, may line up toys according to size and colour more than girls.

    Any differences could have a biological base, but they might also be due to the socialisation of boys and girls. Gender stereotypes dictate that girls are better at communicating and socialising. And expectations that boys will be louder and more aggressive may affect the way the two sexes develop.

    Research in this area is yet to tease apart the contribution of nature versus nurture. But any differences are likely to be small. Most studies find boys and girls have similar symptoms, of similar severity.

    Recommended Reading: Life Expectancy Of Autism

    Tics With Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Children with ASD often develop tics as a form of self-soothing. They usually are triggered by upsetting, stressful, or irregular circumstances. The tic is a subconscious way for the child to distract themselves from the matter instead of focusing on the familiar tic.

    Uncontrollable laughter is a common tic in autistic children. It can seem like they are intentionally disrespectful, considering the timing of the tic. They may burst out in unwarranted laughter at a funeral or wedding because the events are so emotionally stimulating.

    Do Autistic Babies Laugh

    What is Autism? | Quick Learner

    The researchers report that children with autism are more likely to produce unshared laughter laughing when others arent which jibes with the parent reports. In effect, children with autism seem to laugh when the urge strikes them, regardless of whether other people find a particular situation funny.

    Recommended Reading: Free Printable Visuals For Autism

    Behavioural Signs In Infants Between 6 And 12 Months Can Predict Asd

    A 2005 Canadian study published in the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, with over 200 participants was the first to pinpoint specific behavioural signs in infants as young as 12 months that can predict, with remarkable accuracy, whether a child will develop autism.

    Autism is one of the most prevalent disorders today, and while a bio marker was finally found last year to help with early diagnosis, its normally only 80% effective, and so far mostly being used on higher risk infants. Also it is found using an MRI, and wait times can be long. Most doctors instead must rely on parent observations, observing the child themselves, and using standardized tools like the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers . However these tools are made for children who are 18 months and older, a long time especially when early detection and intervention can help with many of the frustrations that develop from communication problems.

    Because of the research done, a scale was developed to help doctors with early assessment in infants as young as 6 months . The Autism Observation Scale for Infants has been a fantastic new tool to help parents and doctors get an early diagnosis.

    Why Is My Autistic Child Laughing Uncontrollably

    Countless parents have reported that their autistic child exhibits strange behavior and laughs uncontrollably. These behaviors are completely different from the laughs in children without the condition.

    Scientists believe that children with ASD have a much bigger chance of creating unshared laughter. In other words, they are laughing when no one else in the room is. Thats because a child with the condition often laughs when they feel a sudden urge to do so.

    Such as:

    • Alexithymia and synesthesia
    • Misunderstood information
    • Exhaustion

    But dont worry. Their laughter is not forced. Instead, it is a spontaneous laugh that is filled with positive emotions. Very rarely is a childs laugh the result of a nervous response, tic, or stim.

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    Causes Of Excessive Laughing

    Extreme tiredness and exhaustion among children is also observed to result in excessive laughing or crying. In such situations it is advisable to put your children to sleep half an hour early, which might prove beneficial.In case the condition is bothering you, I would recommend you to visit your family doctor and a psychiatrist and take their advice. It is always better to get the opinion of the doctor and undertake a complete physical and mental evaluation.

    Autism And Aspergers Are The Same

    ATYPICAL

    Autism and Aspergers disorder are currently defined as separate conditions which fit under the umbrella term of Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

    Aspergers disorder differs from autistic disorder in that language development must have been within normal milestones and intellectual ability must be within the normal range.

    In the clinic, children with Aspergers present as verbally precocious little professors. Often, they are not referred for assessment until they enter a social environment such as primary school, where their social difficulties are noted.

    In contrast, children with autistic disorder are likely to be diagnosed earlier because of language delays and more typical autistic behaviours.

    But under the new mental health classification system the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is due for release in 2013 the distinction between Aspergers disorder and autistic disorder will be dissolved and both will be replaced by Autism Spectrum Disorder. This presents a number of challenges for treatment and diagnosis to ensure that children get specialised care, tailored to their needs.

    When a child is diagnosed with autism, the whole family is undoubtedly affected. But the more the broader community can learn about the condition, the better they can understand and support these families through the difficult journey of diagnosis, intervention and management of autism.

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    Children With Autism Are Not Affectionate

    This isnt true children with autism can and do show affection. But this expression may differ from other children because of unusual responses to sensory stimuli. Children with autism may be oversensitive to touch or hugs, for instance, but may have a high threshold for pain.

    Children with autism can appear to be detached, but this doesnt mean a lack of interest in being affectionate it may be underpinned by a desire to engage in a pursuit theyre more interested in. Likewise, some children dont understand the purposes of hugging and need to be taught this social convention.

    The Facts About Autism And Humour

    While making any blanket assumption that autistic people arent funny or dont understand humour is wrong, there are some general differences in the ways that people with autism use and interpret humour, compared to people without autism.

    1. Laughter as social interaction

    One of the reasons autistic people are thought to lack a sense of humour may be due to the fact that they engage less than neurotypicals in social interaction laughter. One study showed that autistic children displayed laughter primarily when they found something genuinely funny, as opposed to laughing as a means of social expression.1

    So perhaps its not so much that autistic people find things less funnythey may just not respond to the same social cues to laugh at things out of politeness or manners. My son once mentioned to me that he thought it was weird that everyone at the cinema laughed at the same time, even when they werent laughing at the funniest part of the film. I agreed and noted that I never bothered laughing unless I found something funny. I can see why, to people who dont know me, this makes it seem like I lack a sense of humour.

    2. Random laughing

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    Why Do Babies Laugh For No Reason

    Babies are far more likely to laugh when they fall over, rather than when someone else falls over. This shows that way before babies walk, or talk, they and their laughter are social. If you tickle a baby they apparently laugh because you are tickling them, not just because they are being tickled.

    Is That A Good Or A Bad Thing

    Ask Dr. Doreen: uncontrollable Laughing

    Based on a clinical analysis, people prefer the laughter of an autistic to that of other developing children. Not that the other children dont create a positive atmosphere, but when they do laugh uncontrollably, it often means that they are discriminating against one another.

    But, when a child with autism laughs, their smile is genuine and pure. Thats why scientists believe children with ASD have the potential to encourage people to form positive relationships.

    Also Check: Severe Autism Life Expectancy

    Children With Autism: Inappropriate Laughter

    Why do some autistic people behave inappropriately?

    Autistic people struggle with proper behavior.

    With our children, we hope to teach them how to behave in ways that are as socially acceptable as possible. As a parent of autistic child, I hope my son will eventually learn how to behave reasonably well in most situations. Of course, Im not asking him to be perfect.

    However, there are some areas I want to address specifically.

    What one do I think is important?

    Laughing in an inappropriate way. This one concerns me because my son does it.

    Heres a scenario:

    A child with autism is on the playground at school. He witnesses a child near him fall and scrap their knee. The child cries, it hurts.

    What do some children with autism do? Laugh.

    Sometimes, I have watched another adult trip and stumble in an awkward way. I have seen that that person is unhurt and they can laugh about their klutziness. It could have been serious, wasnt, and one or adults can have a shared chuckle.

    Now, part of me knows that it is inappropriate to laugh, but sometimes you play the situation one way or another. Sometimes, you laugh.

    What is the difference?

    Some children with autism have a difficult time distinguishing between IF they can laugh. Those clues are too subtle for them. And, some just laugh no matter what. They have yet to learn that particular social grace.

    How do you teach a child to control or stop inappropriate reactions?

    You can consistently explain the right way to react.

    How Do I Make My 3 Year Old Laugh

    4.4/5Here are some ways to make your child laugh with physical comedy:

  • Play a game to see who can make the silliest face.
  • Start talking and then pretend to fall asleep. Make loud snoring noises. Wake up, begin talking again, and fall back asleep.
  • Move in super-slow motion.
  • A gelastic seizure, also known as “gelastic epilepsy”, is a rare type of seizure that involves a sudden burst of energy, usually in the form of laughing or crying. This syndrome usually occurs for no obvious reason and is uncontrollable. It is slightly more common in males than females.

    Likewise, is it bad to tickle toddlers? Tickling is a way to assert dominance.A person being tickled loses self-control. The struggle to gain control can be humiliating for the child and can leave unpleasant memories for a lifetime. When adults tickle kids, they mostly mean to have fun, but that doesn’t mean the outcome won’t be harmful. According to Dr.

    Likewise, people ask, how can I make my child funny?

    10 Ways to Teach Your Children to be Funny

  • Don’t take yourself so seriously.
  • Research a joke of the day online and share with the family at dinner.
  • Assign joke of the day duty to the kids.
  • Explain that making people laugh is a gift that’s appreciated more than skill at sports, rock star status or even money.
  • Tell stories on yourself.
  • Why hasn’t my baby laughed yet?

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