Slide 1: Signs and Symptoms of Autism
You may begin noticing signs of autism in your child as soon as after six months after birth. It is noticed during infancy but no conclusion is made until the child is three years old when a complete diagnosis is made. This time is allowed as an autistic child aged two years old can appear to be normal, but it is after three years that one can jump to a conclusion. After about two and two and a half years, the symptoms will appear to regress rapidly. They can appear at various levels i.e. they can begin gradually and pick up in pace thereafter or they can just appear in an exaggerated manner. Newborns with this disorder will be seen to display abnormal reactions to sensory stimuli. This means that their senses may appear to be overactive as compared to a normal child. At the same time, they may be very under-active as compared to a normal child. Generally, there are some regular traits that one can lookout for. For instance, a child may appear to feel pain whenever they are touched. such children will tend to alienate themselves from others . Another trait can be witnessed in their reaction to a foul smell, they may react unusually. Their reaction to it may be somewhat exaggerated as compared to how a normal person would. Another unusual behavior would be in their response to the day to day noises that surround them. The autistic child can also begin to wail out aloud should a sudden loud noise pass by e.g. that caused by a motorcycle. Withdrawal behaviors in a child where they tend to be happier alone can also be a justified reason to suspect autistic characteristics in a child. They can also detest toys, which is an unusual trait to witness in a child or they can become hyper or under active or generally not want any sort of closeness.
Young children with autism are known to have impaired language development. They also experience difficulty expressing their needs and interests. They tend to use sign language to communicate or general body language like crying to express dislike or laughing to express their liking for something. They also develop an unclear and underdeveloped method of expressing their needs. They may at times make use of their incomplete speech which mostly does not make much sense. Some may experience echolalia which is a trait depicted by the repetition of many words in a sentence. These are all characteristics displayed by autistic children and it is important to understand them so that you can be able to tell whether a child is autistic or not.
Ishan Goradiya is freelance writer and loves to write about financial planning. These days he is writing on autism awareness.
