Seeing a little child who has autism walk by lately, I started to think about the possibility of parents detecting autism early in their little champs, because I think when it is discovered early then it can be managed. I saw a video of a woman speaking about some of the signs she saw in her autistic child while she was growing up, but she only brushed them off and considered them as being normal until it got to the stage when it became glaring that, her baby had autism.
Before we start to talk about the signs of autism in a child, I think it will be smart to talk a bit about autism and what it entails. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is tagged a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. ASD has no general symptom that can describe the condition because the symptoms vary between humans. An ASD patient may find it difficult to communicate, learn, move, and even concentrate.
In young children, these signs may be noticed among autistic children;
- They try to avoid eye contact.
- They do not talk as much as other children.
- They do not respond to their name.
- They do not play as much.
- They show repetitive movements like the flicking of the fingers, flapping of the hands, and the rocking of the body.
- They get upset with some type of smell, taste, and sound they do not like.
As the child continues to grow old, other signs begin to surface;
Unusual speech like repeating the same phrase.
Finding it difficult to express his or her feelings.
Not able to understand what other people think or what they feel.
Having a strict routine that upsets them greatly if they happen to be a slight change.
Could get upset if you ask them to do anything against their wish.
Highly interested in some major activities.
It is also believed that autism may be more difficult to spot in a female child than a male child, because a female child may hide some signs of autism by mimicking acts from other kids, they can withdraw from situations that appear difficult to them, and may show lesser signs of repetitive behaviors.
Normally, a child at 12 months of age can look in a particular direction of an object, then look back at their parents and mimic the expression of the parent, usually with a smile. But an autistic child may ignore the parent causing the parent to worry about the child's hearing ability.
At 15 months, most children would be able to point to objects and reach out to them. However, an autistic child may take the parents/guardian's hand to the object without making even eye contact.
At 18 months, most children will be able to point at objects they find interesting and look back at their parents to make sure they are intended. But, children with autism will only point at an object in order for their parents to get it for them.
The signs that tend to show before one year could be regarded as mere suspicions, but the early signs of pregnancy begin to get obvious at about 1-2 years of age. There are times when the early signs of autism that show earlier could change, but as the child gets older, it becomes even more clear.
The first year of a child's life is important to watch for the signs of autism, the communication signs and social interaction are necessary to look out for.
However, as the child grows, other related characteristics begin to show themselves, some of them include;
- Epilepsy or seizure disorder.
- Unusual sleeping and eating habits.
- Inability to speak on time.
- Inability to move appropriately.
- Inability to learn skills like other children.
- Absence of fear or excessive show of fear.
- Stress, anxiety, or worry.
You can read more.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html
https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/learning-about-autism/assessment-diagnosis/early-signs-of-asd
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/signs/children/
Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.