10 signs and symptoms to identify Autism

How to recognize a person suffering from an autism spectrum disorder?

Autism is characterized by the alteration of the individual's ability to communicate and engage in social relationships, and by the existence of repetitive behaviors. This neurological disorder occurs in 1 in 100 births..

It is a complex condition that affects the child's development, is usually diagnosed around the age of 3 years, and there are no differences in its occurrence in different cultures or social classes. It is more common in boys than in girls. and according to the DSM-V it belongs to the autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Signs to detect Autism

Each individual with autism experiences symptoms differently and with different degrees of severity. However, the following 10 signs and symptoms are considered to be the warning signs of autism in children:

Disconnection with others

Children with autism often appear distant or disconnected from loved ones (parents, siblings, etc.). with loved ones (parents, siblings, etc.). For example, they may appear to have no emotional connection to these people and do not understand the difference between facial cues. In other words, children with autism often do not react differently to a frown or smile from another person.

Studies conducted on this disorder indicate that people with autism fail to formulate an explanation for the thinking or behavior of others, i.e., they have a deficit in theory of mind. Theory of mind refers to the capacity to put oneself in the other person's place.

2. Apparent lack of empathy

Another common characteristic of children with autism, also related to theory of mind, is that they have difficulty empathizing with others. Although lack of empathy can be difficult to detect and assess effectively in infants and toddlers, there are specific signs that show a lack of ability to empathize.

Autistic children seem to have difficulty understanding or appreciating situations from the perspective of other people. This is because they think that everyone understands the world as they do, which can cause confusion or an inability to anticipate or understand the actions of others.

3. They are indifferent to social interactions.

The vast majority of children are naturally very social. However, children with autism do not spend time looking at others' faces, responding to hearing their name, imitating others' facial expressions, or holding others' hands during play. In contrast, children with autism often do not spend time looking at the faces of others.hildren with autism often do not seem very interested in participating in normal child development play and activities, including socialization and imitation.including socialization and imitation of others.

These signs begin to show by 18 months of age, and as socialization with others continues, symptoms may become more noticeable. For example, at 3 years of age, normal children often want to play with toys with other children. Autistic children, on the other hand, prefer to play alone..

4. Presence of emotional outbursts

In some cases, children with autism may show disproportionate emotional reactions in seemingly normal situations.. For example, inappropriate tantrums for the context or physically aggressive behavior toward themselves (e.g., head banging), parents, siblings, or others.

They may seem unable to control their emotions and physical responses, especially when in new, strange, or stressful situations. Parents should carefully monitor their children's social responses throughout their development, and become familiar with the milestones and behavioral expectations that a child should exhibit when he or she reaches a certain age. Although relatively rare, this type of emotional outburst should be noted and mentioned to a specialist, as it can help make a diagnosis.This can help in making a correct diagnosis.

5. Delayed language development

At 2 years of age, Most infants begin to babble or imitate the language of those who interact with them, and utter a single word when they point to an object or try to get their parents' attention.and utter a single word when they point to an object or try to get their parents' attention.

However, children with autism do not begin to babble or speak until much later. In fact, some do not do not begin to show significant language skills until they begin working with a speech-language pathologist..

6. Prone to nonverbal communication

Due to the fact that autistic children do not develop verbal communication skills at the same time as normal children, they may show a propensity for nonverbal communication.

For example, they may resort to visual or physical means of communication, such as drawings or gestures toFor example, they may resort to visual or physical means of communication, such as drawings or gestures to make requests or engage in back-and-forth dialogue. Another telltale sign of autism is that children may show a regression in their verbal skills; for example, they may lose vocabulary.

7. Difficulty understanding figurative expressions.

Often, children with autism also have trouble understanding that people sometimes express themselves figuratively.. As mentioned above, they do not derive any secondary meaning from attitude or facial expressions, nor do they detect communication cues based on tone of voice; for example, they do not distinguish a happy tone of voice from a sad or angry tone of voice.

A related symptom is that autistic children tend to have more trouble distinguishing tend to have more trouble distinguishing between what is real and what is fiction.. Interestingly, autistic children can be imaginatively very vivid, and some seem to prefer to inhabit their own imaginary worlds.

8. They show repetitive behaviors

Individuals with autism are more likely to show repetitive behaviors.. 

For example, they may arrange and rearrange the same group of objects back and forth for prolonged periods of time or repeat the same word or phrase obsessively. This is one of the most easily identifiable symptoms.

9. They present Pica

The Pica Syndrome is associated with autism since 30% of the children with this disorder also present Pica..

This behavior is characterized by children ingesting non-nutritive substances such as dirt, stones, paper or Biological substances. Although Pica can also be seen in other children at an early age, individuals with autism continue to engage in this practice at later ages.

10. Sensitivity to external stimuli

Sensitivity to external stimuli is another early warning sign of autism.. For example, autistic individuals may become stressed or agitated when exposed to specific noises, bright lights, smells or particular tastes, and some autistic children may avoid certain colors, clothing, sounds, lights or areas of the house for no apparent reason.

However, they may also become extremely sensitive to certain stimuli, and will insist on the use of certain will insist on wearing certain clothes or colors, brightly lit rooms or loud sounds.They may also be extremely sensitive to certain stimuli, and will insist on wearing certain clothes or colors, in rooms with bright lights or loud sounds, and enjoy touching or playing with specific body parts. Many autistic children also exhibit emotional stress when deprived of their preferred stimuli.