How to Recognize Signs of Autism in a Child
Interact with your baby., Call your baby’s name., Play with your toddler., Examine differences of opinion., Assess moods and outbursts.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Interact with your baby.
A typical infant is a social creature by nature and loves to make eye contact.
An autistic infant may appear like they are not interacting with parents, or may look "inattentive" to non-autistic parents.
Make eye contact.
A typically developing baby can return eye contact by six to eight weeks of age.
An autistic child may not look at you, or may avoid looking at your eyes.
Smile at your baby.
A non-autistic baby can smile and offer warm and happy expressions by six weeks of age or earlier.
An autistic baby may not smile, even to a parent.
Make faces at your baby.
See if they mimic you.
An autistic child may not participate in playing copycat. -
Step 2: Call your baby’s name.
A typical baby will respond to it by nine months of age.Typically developing babies will be able to call you Mama or Dada in return by 12 months of age. , By ages two to three, a typical child will be very interested in playing games with you and others.
An autistic toddler may appear disconnected from the world, or deep in thought.
A non-autistic toddler will be involving you in their world by pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months of age.
A typical child engages in parallel play until they are about three years old.
When your toddler engages in parallel play, this means they play alongside other children and enjoy their company but do not necessarily engage in cooperative play.Don’t confuse parallel play with an autistic child not being socially engaged. , By around age five, a typical child can understand that you have a different opinion about things.
An autistic child tends to have great difficulty in understanding that others have different points of view, thoughts, and feelings than their own.
They often appear to lack empathy for others.
If your child loves strawberry ice cream, tell your child that chocolate ice cream is your favourite, and see if they argue or get upset that you do not share the same opinion as them.
Many autistic people understand this better in theory than in praxis.An autistic girl might understand that you like the color blue, but have no idea that it would upset you if she wandered off to check out the balloons across the street. , An autistic child may experience meltdowns, or outbursts of extreme emotion that often resemble a temper tantrum.However, these are not voluntary and are extremely upsetting to the child.
An autistic child experiences many challenges, and may attempt to "bottle up" emotions to please caregivers.
Emotions may spiral out of control, and the child can become so frustrated that they engage in self-injury, such as banging their head against a wall or biting themselves.
Autistic children may experience more pain due to sensory issues, mistreatment, and other problems.
They may lash out more often in self-defense. -
Step 3: Play with your toddler.
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Step 4: Examine differences of opinion.
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Step 5: Assess moods and outbursts.
Detailed Guide
A typical infant is a social creature by nature and loves to make eye contact.
An autistic infant may appear like they are not interacting with parents, or may look "inattentive" to non-autistic parents.
Make eye contact.
A typically developing baby can return eye contact by six to eight weeks of age.
An autistic child may not look at you, or may avoid looking at your eyes.
Smile at your baby.
A non-autistic baby can smile and offer warm and happy expressions by six weeks of age or earlier.
An autistic baby may not smile, even to a parent.
Make faces at your baby.
See if they mimic you.
An autistic child may not participate in playing copycat.
A typical baby will respond to it by nine months of age.Typically developing babies will be able to call you Mama or Dada in return by 12 months of age. , By ages two to three, a typical child will be very interested in playing games with you and others.
An autistic toddler may appear disconnected from the world, or deep in thought.
A non-autistic toddler will be involving you in their world by pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months of age.
A typical child engages in parallel play until they are about three years old.
When your toddler engages in parallel play, this means they play alongside other children and enjoy their company but do not necessarily engage in cooperative play.Don’t confuse parallel play with an autistic child not being socially engaged. , By around age five, a typical child can understand that you have a different opinion about things.
An autistic child tends to have great difficulty in understanding that others have different points of view, thoughts, and feelings than their own.
They often appear to lack empathy for others.
If your child loves strawberry ice cream, tell your child that chocolate ice cream is your favourite, and see if they argue or get upset that you do not share the same opinion as them.
Many autistic people understand this better in theory than in praxis.An autistic girl might understand that you like the color blue, but have no idea that it would upset you if she wandered off to check out the balloons across the street. , An autistic child may experience meltdowns, or outbursts of extreme emotion that often resemble a temper tantrum.However, these are not voluntary and are extremely upsetting to the child.
An autistic child experiences many challenges, and may attempt to "bottle up" emotions to please caregivers.
Emotions may spiral out of control, and the child can become so frustrated that they engage in self-injury, such as banging their head against a wall or biting themselves.
Autistic children may experience more pain due to sensory issues, mistreatment, and other problems.
They may lash out more often in self-defense.
About the Author
Gary Bishop
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in creative arts and beyond.
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