5 Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children.

I have come across children with autism spectrum disorder and it is always fascinating to see the diversity of behaviors and symptoms exhibited. Though, as early as 18 months, symptoms emerge and diagnosis can be made. Autism spectrum disorder does not have a biological diagnosis, assessment is based on behaviors identified. Specific behaviors differ across age, gender, and cognitive abilities.

How do we identify autism? What are the common signs they share?

To answer these questions, I have done some researches and have gathered 5 early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Disclaimer: These symptoms may not exist in the same forms as described below and present altogether. They are early signs assuming no intervention is given. The following are early signs most commonly seen across the population. Please do not take this as a definite guide. Should you be concerned about your child's speech and language development, please seek your local speech pathologist for a proper assessment and diagnosis.

Lack of eye contact

As early as weeks or months, babies begin to see and observe their surroundings, they move their little heads and gaze at their parents or caregivers. This is a universal sign among babies. Even as they reach the 1-year mark, they continue to discover the world their surroundings. On contrary for kids on the spectrum, they do not give eye contact, possibly as they feel weird making eye contact. Parents may report being ignored completely as if their kids had hearing problems.

How to create eye contact with your child in 4 steps.

Difficulty in social interactions

This is in relation to the lack of eye contact, children on the spectrum do not perform well in social interaction, some parents report as if their child did not acknowledge the presence of others surrounding them. Not that they are avoiding interactions intentionally, but more than they are too focused on their bubble. This is both a cause and effect (affecting the development of their social skills) as they have major difficulties in reading social cues and learning the emotions of people. Due to this difficulty, they decide to omit social interactions altogether. On the same token, because they lack social communication, they are unable to develop social skills in the long run.

Aggresieve behaviors/tantrums

Kids on the spectrum can be described as stubborn and very strict in their way, this makes working in teams especially challenging. Aggressive behaviors are a resort in getting what they want, they do not do well in social skills: explaining, negotiating, responding, considering other's points of view. This is aggravated by the unusual behaviors/obsessions, others simply do not understand them.

According to my clinical educator, an experienced speech pathologist in the autism field, he described as if they want to do something, there is no possible way to restrict what they want.

Disclaimer: not every autistic child is violent, just that they are susceptible to having tantrums due to the inability to express what they want appropriately and the fact that others do not understand the way they do things.

Out of the ordinary manners/obsessions

I would not say these behaviors are bizarre or abnormal but rather unique and out of the blue.

One rather common one is lining up items, be it grapes or toy blocks. Sometimes these behaviors can be confused with them being fussy eaters just like every child. To children on the spectrum, they can be obsessed with eating a limited type of foods, they would starve until they get to eat a certain food. Also, try observing your child in other situations, does he/she have a specific way of doing things?

Sensitivity

Sensitivity here refers to the sensations of:

sounds

sight

touch

taste

smell

balance

proprioception (the awareness of body position)

Each child reacts differently, but above are all stimuli that can result in hyperactivity ( too reactive) or hypoactivity (too little reaction) in kids. for instance, one may scream, exhibit aggressive behaviors when asked to eat pasta due to a 'weird' smell (as they claim). Similarly, one may specifically like the sound of trains, gets a meltdown listening to loud sounds, enjoys the touch of slime.

I have seen a child who enjoys specific sounds such as exclamations in texts or 'beep beep!' sounds so much that she would repeat the phrase for 30 mins. That made her laugh and happy.

Note: to some kids, violent behaviors e.g. hitting, are a source of strong stimuli (pain).

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To end, here are some interesting resources about Autism Spectrum Disorder, let me know your thoughts and comments after reading them!

1. Netflix show: Love on the Spectrum - a group of autistic adults trying to find love

2. AutismCRC au - a national guideline on assessing and diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder.

3. Sue Larkey - an experienced specialist in Autism Spectrum Disorder, containing free resources to help you learn all about Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Hope you have enjoyed discovering the 5 early signs of Autism Spectrum disorder like I did. Autism is always a fascinating topic to learn about as it comes in all forms.

Have a great day and don't forget to smile!

Joyce Lau