How Do You Know Your Child Is Autistic

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.

Can A Child Be Slightly Autistic

A child can be mildly autistic. Every child with autism spectrum disorder is unique and so symptoms may differ in severity and range between individuals. Children diagnosed as mildly autistic are unable to understand the body language or emotions of the people around them, but they do have normal intelligence and can conduct their daily activities.

What To Do If Youre Worried

If your child is developmentally delayed, or if youve observed other red flags for autism, schedule an appointment with your pediatrician right away. In fact, its a good idea to have your child screened by a doctor even if he or she is hitting the developmental milestones on schedule. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children receive routine developmental screenings, as well as specific screenings for autism at 9, 18, and 30 months of age.

Schedule an autism screening. A number of specialized screening tools have been developed to identify children at risk for autism. Most of these screening tools are quick and straightforward, consisting of yes-or-no questions or a checklist of symptoms. Your pediatrician should also get your feedback regarding your childs behavior.

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Signs Of Autism In Children Two Years Old And Up

• Language is delayed
• Unusual Speech Pattern
• Engage in limited copying. sometimes what you do and do not engage in the play show
• Feel the content to play alone. Appeals to have very little interest in other children and usually does not share or take.
• Engage in self-injury, such as cutting or hitting yourself.
• Displays repeating tasks, such as flapping his arms or hands.

Behaviour: Early Signs Of Autism

Repetitive and restricted interests If young children are autistic, they might:

• have an intense interest in certain objects and get stuck on particular toys or objects for example, theyll flick the light switch off and on repeatedly, or play only with cars or dolls
• interact with toys and objects in limited ways for example, they might mainly spin the wheels of a toy car rather than pretending to drive the car along the floor, or take the clothes on and off a doll repeatedly
• be very interested in certain objects or activities and get upset if they cant do that activity for example, watching the same TV show over and over
• focus narrowly on objects and activities, like lining up objects or putting toys into a pile.

RoutinesIf young children are autistic, they might be easily upset by change and need to follow routines. For example, they might need to follow the same route to child care or a grandparents house every time.

Repetitive movementsIf young children are autistic, they might repeat body movements or have unusual body movements, like back-arching, hand-flapping, arm-stiffening and walking on the tips of their toes.

Sensory sensitivitiesIf young children are autistic, they might:

If youd like to check your childs behaviour and development for early signs of autism, you can download ASDetect a free, evidence-based, app developed by La Trobe University and suitable for use with children aged 11-30 months.

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You Are Often Focused On Small Details Rather Than The Big Picture

The autistic brain is good at certain things and not at others. It’s exceptionally detail-oriented, able to pick up on a lot of tiny information at once, but it finds it harder to put together into a big picture. A 2013 study from NYU indicated that autistic brains process information in a different way than non-autistic ones, possibly because of lower levels of oxytocin, which both influences our social bonding and helps our brains sort and prioritize information.

Differences Between Mild And Severe Symptoms

Autism disorders fall along a spectrum of mild to severe. Some children with ASD have advanced learning and problem-solving skills, while others require daily living assistance.

According to the American Psychiatric Associations diagnostic criteria, there are three levels of autism that are defined by how much support a person requires.

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Enjoying The Structure Of A Routine

A sign of autism is a preference for a strict daily routine. Change can be quite difficult for a child with autism to cope with. Children with autism tend to like the reliability of a routine that they can trust. This also means that any change in routine can be overwhelming, no matter how small that change might feel to you.

A Lack Of Interest In Pretend Play

For kids with autism, pretend skills may be absent or lacking. dont use objects for pretend playstuff like picking up a sponge and using it as a pretend phone, she says. Play-feeding a doll or pretending the couch is a truck or train are other examples. If this kind of pretend play hasnt started by 18 months, thats a warning sign, notes the CDC.

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Inspecting Toys Rather Than Playing With Them

Most young kids will inspect a toy before playing with it. But a child with autism may not move past the inspection phase, Pandey says. So while a child without autism will race a car along the floor, or fly an airplane through the air, a child with autism might continue to spin the cars tires or examine the bottom of the plane. Their interest is in the parts of the object rather than the whole, she says.

If another child tries to interact or play with him, a child with autism may not know how to react.

What Should You Know

Autism spectrum disorder is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. CDC estimates that an average of 1 in 54 children in the U.S. has ASD or autism. Lets learn more

Follow the 8 steps below for your Web Quest.

Step 1: See what you think about kids with autism. Take the Fact Checkup!

Step 2: Think about some questions to ask. Lets see

Step 3: Check out some quick facts.

Step 4: Check out some great websites to help you learn more.

Step 5: Find out about people who have been diagnosed with autism to help with your Quest.

Step 6: Learn about movies and books that can give you information.

Step 7: Check out your school and neighborhood.

Step 8: Now see if your attitudes have changed. Take the Fact Checkup again.

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Signs Of Autism In Young Children

Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder are usually clear by two or three years old. The range of behaviors and skills covered here may become apparent between two years old and five years old.

Some signs that a child has autism spectrum disorder may include:

• Not expressing emotion or only a limited range of emotions
• Difficulty interpreting different emotions in others
• Not seeming attached to parents
• Lacking interest in playing social games or the company of other children
• Interest in playing with one particular toy or object
• Echolalia, repeating other peopleââ¬â¢s words or phrases
• Repeating own words over and over
• Using formal language and expressions, rather than the slang of their peers
• Not developing language skills at all
• Difficulty toilet training
• Challenging behaviour, such as banging head on wall or picking at skin
• Engages in behavior such as flapping hands, rocking or twirling

Children with autism spectrum disorder have difficulty interpreting what other people are thinking and feeling, and often miss social cues. A child with autism may not be able to tell the difference between an adult who says ââ¬Åcome hereââ¬ï¿½ while happy and smiling, and an adult who says ââ¬Åcome hereââ¬ï¿½ while angry and frowning. This can be confusing and creates the impression the child is not connecting with people.

+ Important Signs Your Child May Be Autistic

Now some of these signs you may already know, and some might be new to you.

Its important to read this list with an open mind. Some things might seem like all children do that or some may not pertain to your childs autism.

Not every autistic child will do all of these things, and not all children who do these things are autistic.

This is simply a guide to help you if youre new to autism and are unsure of what to look for.

Ive decided to split these signs up into the major categories: social, developmental, behavior, and communication.

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Common Signs Of Autism

Some of the more common signs that may indicate a person has autism include:

• Avoiding eye contact
• Delayed speech and communication skills
• Reliance on rules and routines
• Being upset by relatively minor changes
• Unexpected reactions to sounds, tastes, sights, touch and smells
• Difficulty understanding other peopleââ¬â¢s emotions
• Focusing on or becoming obsessed by a narrow range of interests or objects
• Engaging in repetitive behavior such as flapping hands or rocking
• Children not responding to their name by 12 months
• Children not pointing at distant objects by 14 months

Worried you or someone you know might have some of the signs of autism? The Ada app can help you check symptoms. or find out more about how it works.

Heightened Sensitivity Or Sensory Aversion

Autism can cause a childs senses to be touchy. A child may enjoy rubbing smooth or soft surfaces, or he may smell everything, Pandey says. But he may not like to be held or cuddled. Everyday sounds might be really hard for them, she says of children with autism. She mentions toilet flushes and vacuum cleaners as common irritants. They might hold their hands up to their ears, she says. A child with autism may also be very sensitive to bright light, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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The 5 Easy Questions That Can Help Detect Autism

A baby brings hopes for a perfect life filled with baseball games, piano recitals, and tiny voices learning to say, “Mommy,” “Daddy, and, I love you.”

Sometimes, though, those voices never come.

A child may appear to be developing normally but when it comes time for the child to speak, parents are met with silence or meaningless babble.

It might not even occur to a parent that his or her child isn’t speaking at an appropriate age level until the child spends time with peers at daycare, preschool, or even kindergarten and isn’t able to communicate.

According to the Autism Society, one in 54 children has a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD. About one in six children have some kind of speech delay or impairment.

Oftentimes, children aren’t diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder until age four or five, but the child may begin showing signs by the time he or she is two.

That can be scary news for a parent to receive, but it certainly doesn’t mean anything is “wrong” with the child. It only means the parents will need to adjust their plans and expectations to include early intervention.

Think about that. There could be at least two to three years between showing signs of autism and receiving a diagnosis. That’s two to three years of therapy, at an age where early intervention can make a huge difference, that’s lost forever.

Perhaps most importantly, it’s helped countless parents hear the tiny voices of their children finally say, “I love you, Mommy.”

Rarely Shares Enjoyment With You

Babies readily share enjoyment with you by smiling or laughing and looking at you.

Some children with autism smile to show theyre happy but dont their enjoyment.

Others show little facial expression or have flat affect and rarely smile so you may not know when theyre happy.

If your baby rarely shares enjoyment with you, especially when youre available to interact, this can be an early sign of autism.

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Early Signs Of Autism In Boys

Autism is seen more prevalently in boys than in girls. Therefore, the core symptoms mostly coincide with the symptoms we have mentioned to be seen in children with autism in all ages.

Here are some of the early symptoms in autistic boys:

• Doesnt make eye contact
• Has repetitive behaviors
• Doesnt like physical contact

Am I Autistic 17 Signs You May Be On The Autism Spectrum

Although advances are being made in the field every day, we still dont know everything there is to know about autism. Right now, a person can be diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, which scales autism and related conditions under one big ol umbrella.

The autism spectrum records a series of disorders characterized by difficulty communicating and difficulty interacting with others. Back in the day, for most people, being autistic meant being like Dustin Hoffmans character in Rain Man. Now, doctors, experts, and people on the spectrum themselves are redefining what it means to have an ASD .

While most people with autism are diagnosed in early childhood when language and socialization skills are developing, parents often notice that certain developmental markers arent being met and this leads them to an eventual diagnosis.

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But just because you arent diagnosed as having autism as a child, that doesnt mean you can never be diagnosed. Every family has that one odd-ball, and now, thanks to continued research in the field, were becoming more understanding of ASD and realizing that some people with these quirks may actually be somewhere on the spectrum.

If you have ever wondered Am I autistic? weve gathered 17 symptoms and signs of autism that could indicate you share behaviors with people commonly diagnosed.

You may also have other signs, like:

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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?

What Are The Symptoms Of Autism

Autisms early warning signs usually emerge sometime before a child turns three. Symptoms can start as early as 12 or 18 months for some children, while other kids with autism may not be diagnosed until the second or third grade, Pandey says. Symptoms occur over time, and they dont always happen in a doctors office, she says. Thats why parents watching for symptoms and providing that information is important.

Pandey also says parental symptom-spotting is vital because the sooner a health professional can intervene, the better off the child will be. You cannot get autism-specific intervention until you get a diagnosis, she adds.

So what are the symptoms of autism? Here are 12 that parents need to know. Just keep in mind: Diagnosing autism is complicated. We need to see a number of these symptoms to make a diagnosis, not just one, Pandey says.

Also, different symptoms emerge at different ages. What may be a red flag for autism at age 3 could be considered typical behavior at age 1 or 2. While you should tell your childs doctor if you notice any of these symptoms, spotting one of themor even several of themis not a guarantee that your child has autism.

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Difference Of Autism Signs In Boys And Girls

The symptoms of ASD may range from mild to extreme, and there is no definitive list of symptoms that are sure to be shown by each and every child. On top of that, since boys are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder four times more than girls , classic symptoms may be described in a way to refer more to the boys.

The symptoms are generally the same for the both. But, an autistic girl may be:

• quieter
• hide their feelings better
• good at imitating social behaviors.

This can make the impairs seem much less noticeable compared to the case of boys. Also, the autism traits in girls are reported less by their teachers.

It is important to note that not all children with autism show all of the signs. In addition, many children who actually dont have autism may show a few of the symptoms and signs. That is why professional evaluation is of utmost importance.

There are certain developmental milestones children reach in terms of their language and social abilities. Caregivers should take notice of these milestones. They should observe children closely during the first few years of their lives. These are crucial times in terms of early diagnosis and intervention. Although not reaching a milestone at a specified time or achieving it late does not necessarily mean that the child has autism, it may be a sign of a developmental delay.