Signs and Symptoms of Autism: What to Watch For
If your child has been acting strangely or doesn’t seem to be as socially advanced as others their age, you may be wondering if he or she is displaying some of the common signs and symptoms of autism.
But what exactly are these characteristics of autism and how can you tell whether they are a part of the normal developing process or the result of an underlying behavioral problem?
Though the symptoms tend to vary depending on exactly which subtype your child may be affected with, there are a handful of common symptoms that most autistic children display. You should keep in mind that even though a child may display a couple of autistic symptoms, it does not necessarily mean that they are suffering from autistic spectrum disorder.
The child must display multiple symptoms that negatively affect their ability to form relationships, learn new skills, and communicate with others. These symptoms can be broken down into 3 distinct categories:
- social skills
- speech and language
- behavior and play.
Social Skills
Children suffering from a form of autism tend to have a lack of interest in other people. They don’t enjoy sharing their interests or achievements with others, and differ from other children in the sense that they will not share new drawings with parents or point out 
certain things that interest them in a store.
They generally use unusual body language that doesn’t necessarily reflect their emotions, and use facial expressions that don’t match what they are saying.
Children with autistic spectrum disorder don’t like to make eye contact during conversation, and have difficulty making friends with peers in their age group. Because of this, they are unlikely to pursue social interaction in school or at daycare and typically resist being touched by others.
Due to their lack of interest in others (or perhaps a cause of it), they have difficulty understanding other people’s feelings and reactions to certain situations.
Speech and Language
One common sign of autism in children is a lack of speech development. Many suffering from this disorder don’t learn how to speak until after the age of two, or don’t speak at all. When they do speak, they tend to speak with odd rhythm or pitch and constantly repeat phrases without a specific intent.
They have difficulty expressing their desires and needs, and have poor social skills due to the fact that they cannot keep a casual conversation going. Most autistic children do not understand sarcasm, irony, or humor, and take everything people say very literally. They may not understand simple questions or statements, and need more solid directions than other children their age.
Behavior and Play
A common symptom of autism is the tendency to have restricted, obsessive, and rigid behaviors and interests. Repetitive routines are very important – they have a strong need for order within their lives. They may follow the exact same routine every day, such as eating the same food, watching the same television show, wearing the same type of clothes, and going to bed at exactly the same time every night.
They have a strong desire for order, which can commonly be misdiagnosed as having obsessive compulsive disorder. They are much more fascinated by objects than people, and tend to become obsessed with strange objects such as light switches or hair ties.
Most become preoccupied with a specific topic, and yearn to learn everything possible about their topic of choice. These topics typically deal with numbers or symbols, such as mathematics or geography. They become fascinated with certain parts of objects or toys, most commonly spinning or moving pieces such as the wheels of a toy car.
These children tend to have repetitive body movements such as rocking in place, spinning, or fidgeting with their hands, are 
commonly clumsy and have strange ways of moving around.
There are a handful of other signs of autism in children that are not an official part of the diagnostic criteria but are commonly seen in most children who suffer from one of the subtypes of autistic spectrum disorder. Most autistic children are more prone to being negatively affected by external stimuli.
They tend to overreact to loud noises, bright colors, and strong smells. These children can be easily disturbed by the lightest touch or a certain texture of clothing. They may also fall on the opposite end of this spectrum by not reacting at all to external stimuli, such as ignoring people who are speaking to them.
Early Warning Signs of Autism (typically found in children between the ages of 12 and 18 months) include:
• Lack of eye contact or friendly facial gestures
• Lack of response to their own name or a familiar voice
• The inability to visually follow objects
• The lack of gestures typically used by children to communicate
• Not asking for help or reaching out to be held
These common symptoms of autism in toddlers are early signs of autism that should be documented and evaluated thoroughly. If your child does not express joy or smile by the age of 6 months, or doesn’t respond to his or her name by 12 months, they should be evaluated by a professional as soon as possible in order to get the most effective treatment.
These symptoms of autistic spectrum disorders may or may not point to a full-blown disorder. Shyness is very common in young developing children, and those who have an unstable home life may find comfort in rigid, repetitive routines.
Though the appearance of one or two of these symptoms does not necessarily mean that your child is autistic, it is important to carefully monitor your child’s development to make sure that they are not regressing or developing more symptoms. If your child begins to show more than one or two signs and symptoms of autism, you should get them evaluated by a professional.
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