Other Signs Of Autism
You may also have other signs, like:
- not understanding social “rules”, such as not talking over people
- avoiding eye contact
- getting too close to other people, or getting very upset if someone touches or gets too close to you
- noticing small details, patterns, smells or sounds that others do not
- having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
- liking to plan things carefully before doing them
Signs Your Child Might Have Autism
Does my child have autism?
If youre asking this question, chances are you already have some serious concerns and that alone is enough to make most parents feel scared, bewildered, and alone.
But the fact is, many parents find themselves looking for signs of a possible problem and asking this question simply out of an abundance of caution. Thats just good parenting and its only natural with the amount of attention autism has received in recent years. The good news is, most of the time concerned parents discover that everything is absolutely fine. Noticing a single red flag or even identifying a combination of concerns often amounts to nothing more than a childs individuality expressing itself as some slight variation in normal developmental progress.
And on the other side of the coin, even if there is reason to believe your child may fall somewhere on the spectrum, the news is still good: You are not alone Your child will go to school just like the other kids and learn in a regular classroom You will get the help you need and your insurance will cover most of the expense Breathe everything is going to be all right.
Before you start arriving at any conclusions at all, its important that youre very clear about one thing: You may be able to identify some traits that indicate the possibility of autism, but only a medical professional is in a position to say for sure.
- Difficulty with social interactions
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Am I Autistic 17 Signs You May Be On The Autism Spectrum
Although advances are being made in the field every day, we still don’t 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 Hoffman’s 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 aren’t being met and this leads them to an eventual diagnosis.
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But just because you aren’t diagnosed as having autism as a child, that doesn’t mean you can never be diagnosed. Every family has that one odd-ball, and now, thanks to continued research in the field, we’re 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?” we’ve gathered 17 symptoms and signs of autism that could indicate you share behaviors with people commonly diagnosed.
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Educate Yourself About Autism
New resources for understanding and living with autism appear seemingly every day.
Talk to doctors, researchers, or speech pathologists with expertise in autism to learn:
- more about autism and how it works
- whats happening in a neurodivergent brain
- how you can advocate for your teen when others dont understand or accept who they are
Read plenty of books and visit online resources, too. Here are just a few:
Stay Out Of The Goat Pen Edward
Dire wolves are cool, dragons are awesome, but some mythical creatures are downright terrifying. According to LiveScience, the chupacabra is a New World myth that originated in Puerto Rico, but it’s not as old as you probably thought it was. The chupacabra is a vampiric creature first sighted near the turn of this century, which means it’s not only a millennial, it’s probably also Edward Cullen.
“Chupacabra” means “goat sucker,” but it’s also been known to drain the blood of dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits, and other domesticated animals. It can cover vast distances in a single leap, it has red eyes, and it also has big hair, which is further evidence in favor of the Edward Cullen theory.
Chupacabras don’t glitter, though. The most recent sightings describe them as having an almost canine appearance, with thick, hairless skin like an elephant. And unlike other crypto creatures, chupacabras do not appear to be capable of hiding their dead. People have actually killed or found the corpses of animals believed to be chupacabras, which means the beast is an easily solved mystery. Chupacabra corpses almost exclusively turn out to be coyotes suffering from a severe form of mange, which causes them to lose their hair. If you’ve ever been terrified by the sight of a hairless chihuahua , you can probably pretty easily imagine how a person might mistake a hairless coyote for a blood-sucking monster. Or Edward Cullen.
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Eight Creepiest Mythical Creatures From Around The World
A mix of celebration and superstition, Halloween, also known as All Hallows Eve is believed to be the time when ghosts return to the earthly world. In many countries, many mythical and supernatural creatures originating from traditional folklore are associated with this occasion. Stories about these strange and terrifying entities have been passed from one generation to the next, connecting people to their past.
Weve put together a list of the creepiest creatures from different countries that may either terrify you, amuse you, or inspire your costume this Halloween:
How To Find Out If You’re Autistic
wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 4,169 times.
Perhaps youve never felt like a typical person, or maybe youre a self-diagnosed autistic who wants to know if theyre autistic for sure. This article will help you determine if youre autistic, neurotypical, or neurodivergent in a different way.
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Reduced Emotion In Facial Expressions
Facial expressions are a nonverbal way to communicate thoughts and feelings.
Research on emotional expression in autistic infants is limited, but in studies involving school-age children, researchers have found that autistic children display less emotion through facial expressions than children with nonautistic development.
That doesnt necessarily mean autistic children are feeling less emotion, just that less of it shows on their faces when they do.
He Lacks Social Skills
When people are on the autism spectrum, they have many challenges when it comes to social situations. They may avoid eye contact, talk about inappropriate topics, and have difficulty understanding the gestures, body language, and facial expressions of others.
People with ASD may avoid group events as much as possible because they have trouble making small talk and not knowing when people are teasing.
Elizabeth Laugeson, PsyD said in an American Psychological Association podcast,
“I think difficulty with conversational skills, for example, makes it very, very difficult to develop meaningful and close relationships with people, whether they be friendships or romantic relationships. And difficulty picking up on social cues and understanding the perspectives of others, knowing how someone might actually react to something that we say or something we do. That sort of difficulty makes it really challenging for people with autism to develop these relationships.”
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Ten Animals Named After Mythological Creatures
Some animals have inspired mythical creatures, such as the stories of manatees mistaken for mermaids by early sailors. Other animals have looks or behaviours that wouldn’t appear out of place in myths and legends.
From the goblin shark to a tiny wasp named after a creature in Harry Potter, discover the animals that take their names from folklore or fiction.
Do I Need An Autism Diagnosis
Some adults may question whether they need a diagnosis later in life. Some people self-identify as autistic without receiving an official diagnosis. Its a personal decision. What can be helpful in receiving the label is access to supports and services that may not be available without a diagnosis, i.e. an income support program that provides additional income if mental health issues prevent being able to work full time. Maybe you need a job coach, a support person to look in on you a couple of times a week, specialized mental health services, or supports in the workplace. A diagnosis can also provide peace of mind and validation that indeed, you do have ASD.
Self-diagnosis in the adult autism community is widely accepted. You can join a support group or get together with other ASD adults without a formal diagnosis. Pursuing a diagnosis can be expensive as most health plans wont cover the cost and it can be difficult to find a professional who is adept at providing an adult diagnosis.
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Pan Long Dragon Coils On Earth
Pan Long has black skin and is over 13 meters long, and is usually coils on the ground or swims in the rivers or seas.
Pan Long is venomous but could bring rain to drought places.
In ancient Chinese buildings, Pan Long has been widely coiled in pillars and beams, meaning to protect people living inside from any type of injury.
New Jersey Jersey Devil
An eighteenth century mother, frustrated that shed fallen pregnant yet again, cursed out loud that her unborn thirteen kid would be the devil. Big mistake. Although born humanlike, the little guy soon mutated into the midwife-slaughtering, cattle-bothering demon we know and love today.
Upon the newly born childs sudden transformation, it grew a goat head, hooves, bat-like wings and a barbed tail.
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Here Be Komodo Dragons
While it’s certainly true that dragons were never ridden by platinum blonde queens and probably never incinerated entire armies, if you put a medieval knight in the same room as a Dracorex hogwartsia and then asked the knight if dragons are real, he’d probably say yes.
One probable hypothesis for the origin of the dragon legend is the discovery of dinosaur bones in one of his writings, fourth-century B.C. Chinese historian Chang Qu discussed the dragon remains that were found in the region that is now known as Sichuan province. It’s likely that similar artifacts were also known in Europe, potentially giving rise to legends of fire-breathing monsters.
But if fossils weren’t enough to inspire the imagination, it’s also possible that medieval people might have encountered actual dragons in Indonesia, home of the fearsome komodo dragon. According to the Smithsonian, wild komodo dragons can weigh more than 150 pounds and may exceed 10 feet in length, and contrary to what most people believe, medieval dragons weren’t necessarily enormous. Raphael’s famous painting of St. George and the Dragon depicted a beast no larger than a lion, not too far off from a real-life komodo dragon.
Table Mountain Ghost Frog
While the ghost frog gets its name from the Skeleton Gorge where it was first recorded, it could also apply to this species’ elusive nature.
Found only on the slopes of Table Mountain in South Africa and in an area of just four square kilometres, its colouring perfectly matches the forest floor making them tough to spot. This helps them to evade predators.
The ghost frog has few close relatives, with just seven species in its family, Heleophrynidae. The common ancestor of ghost frogs diverged from the ancestor of other living frogs in the Early Cretaceous period, about 70 million years before Tyrannosaurus existed.
Ghost frogs are adapted to live in mountain streams. Their tadpoles use suction cup-like mouths to climb up wet vertical rocks. Water contamination, frequent forest fires and human-made construction of water storage reservoirs on the mountain have affected the frog’s habitat, and they are currently a conservation priority.
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He Has Frequent Meltdowns
Meltdowns can be part of the package with someone with ASD, and how they handle them is different from person to person. They usually happen after a buildup of tension or frustration and can come out of nowhere. They’re almost always purely emotional.
Emma Dalmayne, an adult on the spectrum and a mother of autistic children, says,”When you have a meltdown, it’s as if the world is ending. Everything is too much and you feel like overwhelming darkness has engulfed your very being. Irrepressible anger that may seem completely irrational to an outsider can be inwardly devastating us internally.”
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Be Consistent And Supportive
Autism doesnt go away or get better. It represents your teens:
- personality
- emotion
- selfhood
Its crucial to be there for your teen as they experience not only the typical struggles of being a teen but also the added pressure to conform to neurotypical standards.
Consistency in maintaining a positive, accepting environment can be an enormous influence on the direction of their lives well past the teen years.
Helping your teen learn certain life skills or behaviors they may have difficulty mastering can also be a form of support. To build skills in these areas, you can:
- See a psychologist or psychiatrist who can help your teen work through personal challenges. They can also prescribe medications for anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder , or other conditions that may affect your teens sense of personal fulfillment or be perceived as disruptive.
- See a speech pathologist to help with any communication challenges, or do speech therapy.
- See a behavioral specialist to help with routines, activities, or habits that may be disruptive to activities your teen wants to do.
- See a dietitian who may be able to help optimize your teens diet or supplement intake to reduce their experience of challenging behaviors or emotions.
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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.
Consulting People You Know
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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.
Middle East & Central Asia
Photo: CashNetUSA
The Middle East is the home of the Jinn, mythical genies who live in inanimate objects and can assume either human or animal form. Jinn grant wishes, but those wishes often have unexpected results. They are most prevalent in Iran, Jordan, and Iraq, and are the most searched mythical creatures in all of the Middle Eastern countries. But Jinn dont have a total monopoly on the mythical creature scene in this area of the world. Known as the lord of the sea, the Bu Darya of Bahrain is a giant merman who sneaks onto ships at night to kidnap sailors to eat.
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