When The Autism Kicks In

Autism Signs In Children

Spotting the early signs of autism in young children can be hard if youâre not an autism expert.

Many of these signs are common to all young children but they are seen more often in children who have autism.

Weâve listed here some common red flags for autism â if your child shows some of these then itâs time to check in with a qualified professional.

We also list typical developmental milestones which may be used as a guide to gauge a childâs development. If there are any concerns about a childâs development, or if there is a loss of any skills at any age, talk to a doctor as soon as possible.

• Does not turn head to locate sounds and appears not to respond to loud noises
• Does not push down on legs when feet placed on a firm surface
• Does not show affection to primary caregiver, dislikes being cuddled
• Does not crawl, cannot stand when supported
• Does not use gestures such as waving or pointing

• Cannot walk by 18 months or walks only on his toes, cannot push a wheeled toy
• Does not speak does not imitate actions, cannot follow simple instructions
• Does not appear to know the function of common household object such as a telephone by 15 months

Regression & A Range Of Onset Patterns

It used to be thought that there was a clean distinction between regressive autism and non-regressive autism. Today, more and more doctors argue that such classifications are meaningless.

While most children with autism lose some skills, there is considerable variation in the types of skills lost, at what ages, and to what degrees. Doctors note that the more they examine a patients history and home environment, the more they see signs of classic autism and not neurotypical development that was suddenly lost.

Other research concurs. A 2016 study published in the Autism journal found a range of onset patterns, extending from early developmental delays with no loss of skills to no such delays before a clear loss.

With this in mind, some clinicians say that what is commonly thought of as regressive autism should instead be presented as any number of different kinds of onsets of autism spectrum disorder. Instead of a black-and-white distinction between standard autism and regressive autism, there is actually a complex kaleidoscope of possibilities regarding the loss of social, emotional, and communication skills.

Understanding Common Autistic Behaviors

We usually discipline children because they consciously act in inappropriate ways, whether it’s swiping treats off a sibling’s plate or intentionally tripping a child on the soccer field. However, a child with autism may not be able to control certain behaviors, and it’s important that they are not harshly punished for them. Some behaviors that children with autism may struggle to control include:

• Biting their hands and fingers
• Hand flapping or rocking
• Screaming or yelling
• Hurting themselves by banging or hitting their heads
• Not looking at people or making eye contact
• Physical aggression toward peers and grown-ups, like biting or kicking

Many of these behaviors stem from children’s struggles to express their needs or desires or understand social norms and cues. You shouldnt place your child in time-out, shame them, or spank them because of these behaviors. Rather, it’s important you work to better understand why they are acting out in this way and, if necessary, try to avoid those triggers in the future.

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When To Seek Medical Advice

Early intervention is very important in children with autism spectrum disorder. Services such as speech therapy and behavioral and skills training are more effective if begun when a child is young.

For this reason, it is helpful to receive a diagnosis as early as possible. However, many children remain undiagnosed until they are in school. Some people are not diagnosed until they are adults.

If you suspect someone has autism, including yourself, contact a medical professional as soon as possible.

Limited Or No Response To Their Name

At 6 months , most infants show an awareness of their own names, especially when its spoken by their mother.

Autistic infants show a developmental difference: By 9 months, many babies who later develop ASD dont orient to their own names. say this usually appears as a pattern of nonresponse, rather than a single instance.

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Common Signs Of Asd In Preschoolers

With some children, the signs of autism might not become entirely obvious until they reach preschool , when suddenly the developmental gap between them and their peers becomes more pronounced.In addition to the signs for babies/toddlers, here are some of the more common ways ASD might present itself in a preschool-aged child.

Social communication red flags

• The child generally does not point to or share observations or experiences with others
• The child tends not to look directly at other people in a social way. This is sometimes referred to as a lack of eye contact
• There may be an absence of speech, or unusual speech patterns such as repeating words and phrases , failure to use âIâ, âmeâ, and âyouâ, or reversal of these pronouns
• Unusual responses to other people. A child may show no desire to be cuddled, have a strong preference for familiar people and may appear to treat people as objects rather than a source of comfort
• The child may appear to avoid social situations, preferring to be alone
• There is limited development of play activities, particularly imaginative play
• There may be constant crying or there may be an unusual absence of crying

Behavioural red flags

âShe was so distant from us we found it hard to engage her. We would have to say her name at least six times before she would acknowledge us, often staring into space as if in a trance. We put this down to a hearing problem but test results showed otherwise.â

Challenging Behaviors In Autism

People with autism spectrum disorder may exhibit behaviors which put themselves at risk, cause difficulties for people around them or which are not socially acceptable.

Around 50 percent of people with autism engage in behavior that can cause themselves harm when they feel frustrated, overwhelmed or unwell. Such behaviors can include:

• Banging their head on walls or other objects
• Hitting themselves, e.g. hitting their head with their hands
• Poking themselves in the eye
• Pulling their hair
• Biting themselves
• Smearing feces

A person with autism who feels frustrated, overwhelmed or feeling unwell may also display physically aggressive behavior. This can include:

• Throwing objects
• Hitting, slapping or biting other people
• Pulling other peopleââ¬â¢s hair

Some people with autism eat objects that are not edible, or keep the objects in their mouth, a behavior known as pica. It is the most common eating disorder found in people with autism spectrum disorder. People may eat anything, including dirt or soap.

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Why Do Babies Kick When Excited

• Why do babies eat their hands?

At this stage she is often happy to smile and interact with strangers because she is getting so much pleasure from smiling and interacting with you. You and she will be having conversations with each other, and she will be getting excited at the feeling of you responding to her, and kick her legs and wave her arms.

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.

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Challenges In Severe Autism

The extreme behaviors of severe autism may result from frustration, sensory overload, or physical pain.

Some people with severe autism express themselves through frightening behaviors. If the behaviors can’t be managed, they can become dangerous.

In many cases, it’s not safe for family members to live with a severely autistic teen or adult.

What Is A Spectrum Disorder

Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means that people can experience a wide range of symptoms and of varying severities. For example, a person with autism who is towards the high functioning range of the spectrum will have a good grasp of language, but a person towards the low functioning range of the spectrum may not speak at all.

As such, it is important to note that a person with autism spectrum disorder will not display all symptoms and symptoms will vary in severity. However, a person with ASD will display several of these behaviors and signs.

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Treatment For Aggressive Children With Autism

Knowing how to stop an autistic child from hitting is key. Aggressive behavior can hinder a childs progress at school, at home, and in social interactions. If your child has an autism diagnosis and is engaging in aggressive behaviors, seek treatment options as soon as possible.

The earlier the intervention , the greater your childs chances of developing alongside their peers and becoming independent.

At Therapeutic Pathways, our Board-Certified Behavior Analysts put together an ABA treatment plan for each child engaging in aggressive behaviors. We work diligently to remediate harmful behaviors and encourage children to engage in safer, more appropriate behaviors.

For more information and to learn more about our ABA methods, contact Therapeutic Pathways at 422-3280 to see if our Behavior Center program is right for your child.

Talking About Your Child With Autism

Just a kid.

Say hi. Dont just ignore a child with autism, even if they are nonverbal, or dont reciprocate. It may take many more times before they learn to reciprocate. Using social greetings appropriately and at the right time is a skill set, and it may take them longer to gain those skills. Try not to give up too soon.

Talk to them. It may be more difficult to process information, and short and simple phrasing may be better, but continue to make the effort to talk to a child with autism so that they hear and see language in action.

Talk with your hands. Some children who struggle with verbal communication use formal sign language to bridge the gap while they are learning to talk. But beyond that, and for all individuals with and without autism, visual supports and gestures can be used help to clarify verbal information. We all use our hands to gesture when we give directions or describe something, to support our words, and these additional visual cues can help.

Use correct grammar. A child with autism who struggles with language still benefits from hearing many models of correct grammar and language sequencing. In fact, some may demonstrate relative strengths in imitation of your phrases and sentences, and so it is best if they are simple but intact grammatical utterances.

About AAoM

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Indications Of An Autistic Spectrumdisorder

There are several signs that suggesta disorder such as classicautism or AspergersSyndrome which include:

• Your baby/child does notengage in baby talk
• Your child/baby does notmake eye contact or look at objects which have been pointed to.
• Your baby/child does notsmile or show delight when he/she looks at you.
• Your baby/child does notwave his/her hands or point at things

These and other signs are discussedfurther in our symptomsofautism section.

There are three areas of developmentwhich the autistic child has difficulty with which is common to alltypes of autism. These are:

1.Social communication

2. Social interaction

3.Social imagination

These are essential skills for navigatingand dealing with the world, but fail to develop properly in autisticpeople. A child with these three difficulties will demonstrate thisby being unable to form friendships, play with others, and engage inconversation or share toys.

Other areas include behaviour and specialinterests . Your child may engage in repetitivebehaviour such as licking an object repeatedly or waving their handsaround. Another aspect is that of developing an obsessive interest ina subject or hobby.

What you will notice is that thesesymptoms become more noticeable the older your child gets. The symptomsof autism become apparent around the age of 2 and are often detectedduring a routine check up with your health visitor.

Understanding Aggressive Behaviour In Autistic Children And Teenagers

If you understand what causes your autistic childs self-injurious and aggressive behaviour, you can help your child learn to manage the behaviour.

You can do this by looking at whats triggering the behaviour and what your child is getting out of it. Try keeping a diary of the behaviour for 1-2 weeks, noting what happens before and after the behaviour.

Understanding how well your child can communicate is also a key step in finding out whats causing the aggressive behaviour. When children cant express feelings or ask for what they need or want, they might use aggressive behaviour to communicate.

It can be helpful to ask yourself, Is my child trying to tell me something? For example, if your child doesnt like corn flakes but cant tell you, your child might hit you as a way of saying Take it away, I dont want it!

One way to manage your childs aggressive behaviour is by changing the triggers for the behaviour. Our article on managing challenging behaviour in autistic children explains how to do this.

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What Are The Signs Of Autism In Babies

Autism doesnt change a babys physical appearance. The condition does affect how babies communicate and how they relate to the world around them.

Autism is described as a spectrum condition because signs, symptoms, and abilities can vary widely. If you notice any of these developmental differences, its important to talk with your childs doctor or healthcare professional about them.

Why Do Babies Kick Their Legs When Theyre Happy

Kicking and Breathing Quickly Just as we adults want to do something when excited, babies kick and breath fast when they are too excited. It simply means that she is happy and excited about something. It can be due to something or someone that she has seen or a result of being able to do something that she wants to do.

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Why Do Babies Kick Their Legs When Happy

At this stage she is often happy to smile and interact with strangers because she is getting so much pleasure from smiling and interacting with you. You and she will be having conversations with each other, and she will be getting excited at the feeling of you responding to her, and kick her legs and wave her arms.

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

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Dealing With Aggressive Outbursts From Autistic Children And Teenagers

You probably cant prevent every outburst from your autistic child. So its important for you to have some strategies to deal with the aggressive behaviour when it happens.

Stay calm This is the first and most important thing. Most aggressive outbursts happen because your child has feelings building up and cant communicate them. By managing your own feelings and staying calm and quiet, you wont add your emotions to the mix.

Limit what you say During an outburst your child will be feeling very stressed. Its hard to process what someone else is saying when youre feeling stressed, and this is especially true for autistic children, who can have trouble understanding language.

So it can help if you dont say too much. Aim for short phrases or even just a couple of words for example, Sit down rather than Lachlan, come over here and sit down.

Move your child to a safer place For everyones safety, make sure your child isnt close to anything that could be harmful for example, shelves that could fall over or glass objects. A quiet enclosed space outside might be an option. You might also need to get other people to move out of the way for safety.

Consider visual cues Visual cues can help in these situations. For example, you might have a picture of a quiet place in your home that your child can go to.