Autism- Described
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is classified as a neurological and developmental disorder. Individuals diagnosed with ASD interact differently with others, may communicate in a unique way, and often present with distinctive behaviors.
- Difficulty with Social Skills and Situations:
- The individual does not share interests or emotions of others and rarely, if ever initiates or responds to the attempts of others to interact with them.
- The individual has lack of facial expression or their expression does not match their reaction. This may also include avoidant eye contact and decreased awareness of nonverbal body language.
- The individual struggles to adapt their behavior to social contexts and engage in little to no imaginative play by themselves or with others.
- Restrictive, Repetitive Behaviors and Interests
- Repetitive motor movements, repetitive use of objects, or repeating what others say.
- Rigid adherence to routines, demonstrates ritualized behaviors, or becomes distressed at small changes.
- Highly restricted, intense, and/or unusual interests.
- Over- or under-reactivity to sensory input (unaware of pain, hears soft sounds in the environment that others miss).
The symptoms listed above must cause signficant impairment in daily functioning and not be better explained by intellectual disability or global developmental delay.
Common Indicators
Social Communication & Interaction Skills
- Does not respond to name
- Does not notice when others are hurt or upset
- Does not notice others or attempt to join peers in activities
- Does not engage in imaginative play (with or without others)
Restrictive or Repetitive Behaviors or Interests
- Lines up toys or other objects
- Is focused on parts of objects (spinning the wheels of a car)
- Must follow certain routines and gets upset if they change
- Flaps hands, rocks body, jumps up and down, spins in circles
Next Steps
First, talk to your child’s primary care physician. They may ask you to complete an autism screening for your child. Following the screening, they may refer you to an autism evaluation center (depending on your insurance).
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