How Do You Know When A Child Is Autistic

Autism Signs By 12 Months

• She doesn’t say single words.

• She doesn’t use gestures such as waving or shaking her head.

• She doesn’t point to objects or pictures.

• She can’t stand when supported.

It’s important to note that these criteria aren’t conclusive evidence of autism. “Theyre simply things we look for to determine if we need to further assess the baby, says Mandi Silverman, PsyD, MBA, senior director of the Autism Center at the Child Mind Institute. Another social or developmental factor may be to blame.

Autism Causes The Brain To Process Things Differently

Children on the Autism Spectrum process differently things others often take for granted. Crowds, loud noises, and bright or blinking lights, among countless other things, can often lead to extreme anxiety or a total meltdown on the part of the child. As one parent of an autistic child stated, If you are in a supermarket and your child is getting overwhelmed and maybe making a scene, it makes it ten times worse when people around you are giving you dirty looks or making comments.

What Age Does Autism Usually Show Up

The behavioral symptoms of autism spectrum disorder often appear early in the childs development. Many children show symptoms of autism between 12 and 18 months of age or earlier, but in others autism may not become obvious until the age of 2 or 3 years. The age of diagnosis, as well as the range and severity of symptoms, can vary widely and so professional evaluation is critical.

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Signs Of Asd Primary School Aged Children

Children are often diagnosed with autism once they get to school, when their social communication and behavioural characteristics mark their development out as different to their peers.

• Issues with conversation, perhaps dominating conversations with their favourite topic and not knowing how to take turns.
• Not being able to interpret the non-verbal communication of peers and adults.
• Unusual speech patterns, a monotonous tone or an old fashioned way of talking.
• Seeking solitude, and finding being with others very stressful and exhausting
• Being rigid in following rules at school and in sport and games
• Finding it hard to read social cues and the unwritten rules of friendship
• Having unusual interests and obsessions, no breadth of interests
• Sometimes there are unusual physical movements, such as touching, biting, rocking or finger flicking
• Having sensory issues, either heightened or lack of sense of smell, touch, taste, sound and vision
• Need to follow routines to feel secure, become very upset when expected routines change
• Having few or no real friends
• Aggression is sometimes seen, usually as a way of avoiding overwhelming situations
• Anxiety is also common, especially as children enter the teenager years

âReally didnât know until it was suggested to us by the school counsellor who recommended we have our child assessed.â

How Do You Talk With Your Child About Their Autism Diagnosis

It can be hard to decide what and how much information to share when talking to your child about their autism diagnosis. Setting a positive tone when discussing autism spectrum disorder and making sure you understand what your child is truly asking is very important. Establish a positive attitude about their differences from the outset, then answer their questions simply and honestly. If your child is of reading age, you may want to consider finding some childrens books on the topic of autism spectrum disorder to read with them.

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My School And Neighborhood

Look around your school and neighborhood to see how many barriers need to be changed to help kids with autism to have the same opportunities to be friends and participate in activities just like kids without disabilities.

Why Do Some Young People Get A Late Diagnosis

It is common for a young person to get a late diagnosis if they are high functioning or academically able. This also occurs more in girls than in boys, as girls are generally more adept at copying neuro-typical behaviours, including verbal and non-verbal communication in order to mask their autism.

Late diagnosis can happen because there is some ambiguity which makes it difficult to be sure a young person has autism, or because other conditions have presented as being their primary need e.g. challenging behaviour or ADHD. Typically, children are also often able to cope in a primary school environment but find the increasing demand of secondary school very stressful, leading to their difficulties becoming more apparent.

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How To Explain The Diagnosis To Your Child

The primary rule to remember when revealing your child’s autism diagnosis is to stay positive. There is absolutely no need for the news to come across as ominous, worrying, or disappointing, and to convey it as such may do irreparable damage to your child’s self-esteem. Remember that we are living in a society where the concept of neurodiversity is gaining considerable momentum, so introducing your child’s diagnosis as a natural variation in the human mind – one that is to be embraced and understood – is often the best way to go forward. You may wish to begin the conversation by highlighting your child’s positive traits, e.g., Have you ever noticed how much more analytical and organized you are than most of your classmates? Likewise, before you reveal your child’s diagnosis, it’s a good idea to establish the concept that differences between people are normal, acceptable, and beneficial for example, you may point out that while you are good at math and your spouse is not, he is much better at writing or working with people, and when you both work together, these different skill prove to be highly complementary.

Where To Test Your Child For Autism

If you suspect your child may have autism spectrum disorder, start by raising your concerns with your childs pediatrician. If your doctor determines that your child may be showing symptoms of autism, they will refer you to a specialist who treats children with autism spectrum disorder, such as a child psychiatrist or psychologist, pediatric neurologist, or developmental pediatrician, for an evaluation.

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When You Have An Interest It’s Intense And All

Obsessions are a very common part of autistic experiences. They tend to involve learning everything possible about one particular thing or range of things, from television shows to objects to people. It can either be an entire topic or something seriously specific, too. It’s not the same as being a super-fan, though a “special interest,” as it’s termed for the autistic, is an integral part of your identity and how you live your life, and is pursued in every avenue possible. One study calls them “intense, interfering, and idiosyncratic,” which sounds like a trio of children’s book characters. And pursuing your special interest is also deeply comforting.

Difficulty Responding To Kindness

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg because autistic children may also have a tough time managing their responses to adult or peer “kindness.” Perhaps these examples sound familiar:

• Grandma comes to visit. She sees her autistic grandchild, opens her arms, and asks for a big hug. The grandchild runs in the opposite direction at top speed. Grandma follows him and gives him that hug, only to be rewarded with a kick in the shins.
• Grandpa gives his autistic grandchild a gift, and his grandchild says, at an age when he or she should know better, “I don’t like this! I wanted a ___!”
• A kind peer from school agrees to a play date and finds himself ignored for several hours while the autistic host plays alone. Even worse, the guest may spend two hours being told, “Don’t touch that!”

All of these behaviors can be embarrassing, and all can lead to hurt or even angry feelings. Yet all are typical of autism, and, in most cases, result from sensory, communication, or behavioral challenges that are part of autism.

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S To Take If You Believe A Teenager Has Autism

If you think your teenager has autism, is it important for you to carry out research. Sites such as Child Autism UK can help you better understand the condition and the steps to take next.

You should also contact their special educational needs coordinator to discuss the symptoms. It is also important to speak to your GP who can provide medical advice and referrals where necessary.

As Parents We Arent Looking For An Autism Cure

Parents of neurotypical children are often surprised to hear that parents of children on the Autism Spectrum arent really looking for a cure. Autism is part of their childs life and identity, and they wouldnt be themselves if they werent autistic. These parents might research to find management tips and tricks , but they understand that finding a magical cure to get rid of autism altogether is, for lack of a better word, just silly.

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Answer The Five Questions At The End Of This Post And If You Answer No To Two Or More Begin Early Intervention Right Away But First Here Are Some Early Warning Signs Of Asd

Early Warning Signs: First Year

Even young infants are very social, so its possible to detect signs of autism in how babies interact with their world. At this age, a child with an ASD may:

• Not turn to a mothers voice
• Not respond to his own name
• Not look people in the eye
• Have no babbling or pointing by age one
• Not smile or respond to social cues from others

Babies who do not have autism can have these behaviors, too, but it’s best to contact your doctor right away with any concerns.

At 12 Months

• A child with typical development will turn his head when he hears his name.
• A child with ASD might not turn to look, even after his name is repeated several times, but will respond to other sounds.

At 18 Months

• A child with delayed speech skills will point, gesture, or use facial expressions to make up for her lack of talking.
• A child with ASD might make no attempt to compensate for delayed speech or might limit speech to parroting what is heard on TV or what she just heard.

At 24 Months

• A child with typical development brings a picture to show his mother and shares his joy from it with her.
• A child with ASD might bring her a bottle of bubbles to open, but he does not look at his mom’s face when she does or share in the pleasure of playing together.

ASD at any age might include the following signs:

• Repeated motions
• Avoiding eye contact or physical touch
• Delays in learning to talk
• Repeating words or phrases
• Getting upset by minor changes

Screening Tools And Tutorials

There are some great screening tools and tutorials to help parents and carers spot the early warning signs for autism. Below are some we highly recommend. Please be mindful that they are just screening tools, and not a diagnosis.

Early autism detection – ASDetect

This is a free app that empowers parents and caregivers to assess the social attention and communication behaviours of their children younger than 2½ years .This video-led self-assessment app is based on comprehensive, rigorous, world-class research conducted at the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre

The app guides parents and carers through each assessment using a combination of videos and questions, as well as activities that you can do with your child. Once you have completed an assessment, you receive both an on-screen result of either âlowâ or âhighâ likelihood of autism, as well as a comprehensive formal assessment results email. See more asdetect.org/

Early signs of autism tutorial Kennedy Krieger Institute

This free 9-minute video tutorial on ASD behavioural signs in one-year-olds. The tutorial consists of six video clips comparing toddlers who show no signs of ASD to toddlers who show early signs of ASD.

Each video is presented with voice-over explaining how the specific behaviours exhibited by the child, as they occur on screen, are either indicative of ASD or typical child development.

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How Do You Identify Signs Of Autism In Young Children

Kate was born eleven days late after a normal pregnancy and had some of the typical infant issues: a little colic, some problems sleeping through the night. She had an older sister, so her parents were familiar with the pattern.

But something else was different with Kate. They couldnt seem to connect with her like they had with her sister. She didnt make eye contact. The sounds she made, as a baby, were different. She didnt respond when her name was calleda hearing deficit was discovered and surgically corrected, but it didnt change the issue.

No I Dont Just Need To Discipline My Child More

Meltdowns are not tantrums. They are not the result of a lack of discipline on the part of the parent. Children on the Autism Spectrum have sensory issues. One child may be a sensory avoider, while another is a sensory seeker. And kids with sensory issues do not respond well to physical punishment. Spanking, time out, and yelling are not usually effective tools of discipline for a child with autism. Rather, parents of children on the Autism Spectrum rely on routine and repeated exposure to teach their autistic children rules and boundaries.

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What Is Just Behavior

So instead, lets look at behavior. Because just the word behavior is kind of a loaded term.

If I asked you to list out some behaviors, what would you list? My guess is it would be things like hitting or kicking or refusal or defiance.

We typically think of behavior in the form of negative behaviors. But the fact is, behavior is simply the things we do.

So waving hi, using your voice to make sounds, and twirling your hair are all behaviors, too.

Everything humans do is behavior.

So when someone asks, is this autism or behavior? the answer is most often, yes.

But again, lets remember the question behind this question: what behaviors should I accept, and what behaviors should I change?

Signs Of Asperger Syndrome

People with Asperger syndrome are generally considered to be on the higher functioning end of the autism spectrum. It is still a form of autism and is a lifelong condition.

Signs and symptoms that are typical of people with Asperger syndrome include:

• Very narrow and highly focused interests
• Great importance on rules and routines
• High standard of language skills, potentially very formal in expression
• Monotonous or repetitive speech

• Making the same noise repeatedly
• Scratching

These behaviors provide the person with a form of sensory input that the person finds appealing or helpful. There are various reasons why someone could be engaging in self-stimulatory behavior:

• They find it enjoyable
• It provides something to focus on, thereby reducing the effects of other, nearby stimuli
• It is soothing and helps with anxiety

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What Are Some Early Signs Of Autism In Toddlers

When a baby becomes a toddler, various developmental differences, signs and symptoms may become more apparent with the growing age of the child.

During their first year, toddlers with autism spectrum disorder may not:

• like seeing new faces,

• may not be able to walk, or w__alk only on their toes__
• may find certain sounds, tastes and smells upsetting,
• may fall into repetitive movements, like flapping their hands.

These signs may be more noticeable compared to the signs presented early on. However, the majority of children with autism are not diagnosed before the age of two due to missed signs by caregivers, or lack of access to specialists.

How Can You Tell If Its Autism Or Just Behavior

I get asked a lot about where that line is between autism and behavior.

The thing is, theres a question behind the question here that most people miss.

Parents ask things like

What is autism? Whats behavior?

How do I know if its a typical kid thing, or if it is an autistic trait that needs to be accommodated for?

But the real question theyre asking me is

What is the behavior I should intervene? And what is the behavior that I should leave alone?

What is the behavior I should accept? What is the behavior I should change?

And heres the thing, the fact that you are asking this question actually tells me that youre well on your way in your autism journey.

And heres why

It tells me that you know already that autism isnt a negative thing that should be changed. It tells me you already want to protect who your child is.

And at the same time, there are some behaviors that just arent actually acceptable.

And so how do you know if what your child is doing is an actual autistic trait that should be accepted and accommodated for, or if its a harmful behavior that actually should be changed.

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