{"id":2012,"date":"2018-06-07T05:50:25","date_gmt":"2018-06-07T05:50:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/besthealth.guide\/?p=2012"},"modified":"2021-10-05T09:25:18","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T09:25:18","slug":"20-autism-symptoms-you-should-know-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/20-autism-symptoms-you-should-know-about\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Autism Symptoms You Should Know About"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Autism is a mental health condition that affects an individual\u2019s ability to socialize, communicate, and understand abstract concepts. Autism is present from birth and in more than 1% of the population in many countries. Autism is categorized as part of the autism spectrum disorder, which groups together a number of similar conditions including Asperger\u2019s syndrome. Autism itself can also vary in severity, with some autistic people struggling with even the most basic communication and others being fully independent and high functioning. For these reasons, it is incorrect to think of autism as an illness to be treated. There is no \u2018cure\u2019 for autism and indeed, many people see it as an important and valuable part of their identity with its own strengths and weaknesses \u2013 just like any cluster of personality traits.<\/p>\n

There is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding surrounding autism, which can make it difficult to identify and diagnose. In this list, we will be counting down 20 symptoms of autism, to help better understand the condition and recognize it.<\/p>\n

1. Minimal Eye Contact<\/h3>\n

One of the earliest signs of autism in children is a tendency to avoid eye contact. This is one of the earliest and most fundamental aspects of communication and connecting with others \u2013 which are areas that those with autism struggle with.<\/p>\n

For some with autism, understanding the motivations and thoughts of others is an alien concept. Thus they may show less interest in the actions or behaviors of others \u2013 or might alternatively find maintaining eye contact to be stressful and overwhelming. Some have even described the feeling as \u2018burning\u2019. In this way, it is now thought that this behavior has less to do with a lack of interest or concern and more to do with a strategy to avoid \u2018excessive arousal\u2019 \u2013 perhaps due to imbalances in the excitatory and inhibitory functions of the brain.<\/p>\n

For parents that notice their young children avoiding eye contact, this is an important symptom to have checked. It might an alternative point to visual or hearing impairment.\"\"<\/p>\n

2. Reduced Theory of Mind<\/h3>\n

As we develop, it is normal to begin acquiring a \u2018theory of mind\u2019. This means that a child will begin to create internal mental models to predict and understand the behaviors of others based on their interactions.<\/p>\n

So for instance, we generally can grasp what another person sees once we have developed past a certain age, simply by observing the direction of their gaze in relation to the world around them (and any items that might obscure their view).<\/p>\n

In autism, this ability develops later and may never be fully formed. Thus, psychologists will often attempt to diagnose the condition by using tests such as the \u2018Sally Anne\u2019 test. These involve hypothetical scenarios that ask children to predict what characters will do next, based on the information they have available.<\/p>\n

While many autistic individuals will develop working models of human behavior or coping strategies, they may never gain the intuitive grasp that others do regarding the thoughts and feelings of others. \"\"<\/p>\n

3. Social Disconnect<\/h3>\n

For the above reasons, many children and adults with autism will find it harder to connect with others. They might struggle to gain friends, they might significantly prefer time spent alone, or they might find themselves being the victims of bullying. This can result either from a disinterest in forming friendships and fitting in or from difficulty doing so (or a combination of both).<\/p>\n

At this point, it is important to consider the importance of looking at symptoms in clusters rather than in isolation. A tendency to spend time alone can merely be a sign of an introverted personality type and may have nothing to do with ASD. Likewise, there are also many individual differences among those with autism, with females for instance being more likely to form friendships. Those with high-functioning autism will often describe feeling intense and frequent feelings of loneliness.\"\"<\/p>\n

4. Unusual Speech Patterns<\/h3>\n

Some people with autism may develop unusual speech patterns. Commonly, this will lead to them sounding either monotone and robotic (with less emotion) or alternatively sounding somewhat \u2018sing-song\u2019.<\/p>\n

In some cases, it may appear as though someone with autism is speaking but their tone of voice is not reflective of the content of what they are saying \u2013 almost as though they are not fully understanding the way that others might interpret their speech.<\/p>\n

Autism can also cause a number of other quirks and unusual speech patterns. That said, many autistic individuals will speak normally and may be highly eloquent.
\nThis may be linked with another commonly noticed characteristic of autism: a tendency to pull unusual facial expressions or to gurn or grimace. Again, this can be exhibited to varying degrees depending on the individual.\"\"<\/p>\n

5. Difficulty With Social Norms<\/h3>\n

High functioning autistics may demonstrate signs of being \u2018socially awkward\u2019. This can include such things as standing too close, speaking too loud, or broaching inappropriate subjects. In children, this will often manifest as a lack of understanding regarding usual unspoken social contracts. For instance, autistic children may struggle with turn-taking, queueing, or waiting. Others might fail to grasp manners or traditions.<\/p>\n

This can contribute to difficulties in making friends, as well as performing in the class where they may find themselves getting into trouble if their condition is not diagnosed.\"\"<\/p>\n

6. Displaying Lack of Concern<\/h3>\n

Autistic children may fail to demonstrate concern when someone around them is showing signs of distress. For instance, if a friend or caregiver should cry, then they may fail to comfort them or ask what is wrong. Again, this is not necessarily a sign of a true lack of concern \u2013 and autistic children do generally form strong attachments with their caregivers. Rather then, this tends to be a failure to interpret and understand the signals that the person is in distress and may require their attention.<\/p>\n

This may come down to a general inability to recognize specific facial expressions and emotions. Older children with ASD generally perform worse on tests of emotion recognition.
\nAgain, this can lead to autistic children struggling to fit in with peers, even if they are eager to make friends.
\nThere are some anecdotal reports that autism and ASD may be linked with aggressive or violent behavior. However, this has not been demonstrated by any scientific research and it certainly is not present in all individuals with autism.\"\"<\/p>\n

7. Anxiety<\/h3>\n

Those with autism may generally display more signs of anxiety in a range of situations. It is common for autistic children to become anxious when in public for instance, or during changes to their normal routine. Autism also tends to correlate with low \u2018attachment security\u2019.<\/p>\n

This is a psychological measure of a child\u2019s comfort when being separated from their mothers. While most children get upset when they are away from their primary caregivers for extended periods of time, some will find it almost unbearable even to be left in a different room. This trait tends to correlate with a number of developmental disorders, including autism.<\/p>\n

Other ways in which autistic individuals might exhibit higher-than-average anxiety include reacting badly to sudden loud noises for instance. There appears to be a general link here to \u2018over-excitation\u2019 and so it follows that loud noises should be especially distressing. Parents with ASD also show statistically higher levels of stress.\"\"<\/p>\n

8. Camouflaging<\/h3>\n

Camouflaging describes the tendency for some children with autism to attempt to hide their differences. They may do this by studying those around them and learning to try and act in a similar manner and in accordance with what their peers expect of them. This behavior is more common in girls and women with autism than in males, however.<\/p>\n

While this is understandable, it can also make it harder to diagnose and identify those with autism. Often, autistic children require understanding and help during school and in their careers \u2013 which makes it useful to understand the subtler cues and to address the potential difference in a sensitive and compassionate manner.\"\"<\/p>\n

9. Poor Communication<\/h3>\n

Children with autism often struggle with communication from a young age and this may persist into adulthood. In fact, roughly one third to one-half of individuals with autism will never develop the amount of speech necessary in order to live independently. Some will never acquire any speech at all. Others, however, as mentioned, may fully grasp and master their native language (and perhaps others).<\/p>\n

During development, infants will often be slower to begin babbling and may babble less frequently once they begin. They are less likely to make requests or respond to questions and likewise may be more inclined to repeat the words and phrases of others (this is called echolalia) or to reverse pronouns.<\/p>\n

In high-functioning autistic individuals, the grasp of language appears to be somewhat different. Studies show that autistic children will often perform worse at complex language tasks involving figurative speech and inference However, they might in fact have a larger vocabulary in many cases than their \u2018neurotypical\u2019 peers.
\nIt may be simplistic to think of this as a language impairment, but rather we should consider that it is a different way of seeing and using language.\"\"<\/p>\n

10. Not Responding to Their Name<\/h3>\n

Another very early symptom of ASD that parents can look out for, is an inability for autistic children to respond to their own names. This may be due to the fact that they don\u2019t understand that the name is theirs, or it may be due to a lack of interest in the ensuing communication.<\/p>\n

Again, this symptom might point to a number of other causes, however. For instance, it can also be a common sign of hearing impairment. In fact, many of the symptoms of hearing difficulties in very young children are similar to those seen in autistic children: an inability to respond to social cues, slow language acquisition, etc. As with autism, it is very important that hearing deficits be identified early on in development so that children can get the support they need through school.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, sensory deficits can also be signs of autism in themselves. In fact, sensory \u2018abnormalities\u2019 of some description are found in over 90% of autistic individuals. These differences can include both \u2018over-responsivity\u2019 and \u2018under responsivity\u2019. The former is more common though and might result in individuals walking into objects.<\/p>\n

\"\"11. Obsessive Interests<\/h3>\n

It is common for those with autism to display obsessive interests. These might be life-long passions for particular specific subjects such as maths, music, trivia, or anything else \u2013 or they might be shorter-term infatuations with a particular subject.<\/p>\n

What might set this apart from a normal childhood behavior is the seemingly random nature of the subjects that the child finds so interesting \u2013 and a tendency to talk for long periods on the same topic without considering the other party\u2019s interest in that conversation. This is a common behavior in older individuals with autism, which in turn can serve as another barrier in communication and friendship.<\/p>\n

In some cases, however, these obsessive interests can also serve the autistic individual well, potentially leading to career paths or helping them to gain impressive amounts of knowledge on that given subject.\"\"<\/p>\n

12. Savantism<\/h3>\n

One of the most common myths regarding autism is that it necessarily correlates with a higher-than-average ability in math. Famous movies and stories such as Rainman have popularized the idea of the \u2018autistic savant\u2019 \u2013 cases of remarkable autistic individuals with incredible abilities.<\/p>\n

The truth is that savantism only appears in rare cases. However, it is still a genuine occasional characteristic of the condition \u2013 as in cases of \u2018real-life\u2019 Rainmen such as Daniel Tammet. These individuals demonstrate exceedingly brilliant skills in a range of subjects. Very often these subjects will relate to either math or music: many autistic savants can tell you the day on which you were born from your age and year of birth for instance. Others might be able to play highly complex pieces of music by ear. Memory is also commonly affected, with some autistic savants being able to paint highly detailed portrayals of cities after a single flight in a helicopter.<\/p>\n

The causes of this condition are not fully understood, but there are many interesting theories. It is possible that savantism is merely a natural repercussion of obsessive interests. Alternatively, it may be due to brain plasticity \u2013 as language and emotional regions of the brain are underutilized, others see compensatory development. Interestingly, DARPA studies using transcranial direct current stimulation have been able to \u2018trigger\u2019 savant episodes in neurotypical individuals with some success.\"\"<\/p>\n

13. Self Harm<\/h3>\n

Self-injury is a common symptom in those with autism, which tends to affect those with more debilitating versions of the condition. This self-injury can take on many different forms, including eye-poking, hair pulling, head banging, hand biting, skin picking, and more. This can create a significant challenge for caregivers that are thus unable to attend to anything else.<\/p>\n

This self-harm is generally agreed not to be an attempt at stimulation (as is the case in some instances of self-harm). Rather, it is thought that this is an attempt to help deal with difficult emotions that the individual doesn\u2019t fully understand. The self-injury might also be a random tick that happens to have a self-destructive nature.\"\"<\/p>\n

14. Joint Attention<\/h3>\n

One of the most crucial aspects of communication is \u2018joint attention\u2019. In other words, this is the ability to focus on something in particular along with another person. That might mean the ability to follow someone\u2019s gaze or their finger when pointing. A common mistake is to look at the finger itself, rather than where it is pointing. This then introduces a mutual point of interest ready for discussion.<\/p>\n

This missing ability may then go some way to explaining why subsequent developmental stages regarding language can fail to materialize. It can also prevent other basic interactions \u2013 such as the ability of a child to point at things they want or to gesture for things they can\u2019t reach. Some psychologists believe these actions to be the basis for language.\"\"<\/p>\n

15. Ticks<\/h3>\n

A tick is an uncontrolled impulse to move, speak, or make some kind of noise or utterance. These are also commonly present in those with autism and might take the form of twitching, sudden jerking motions, blinking, coughing, or Tourette\u2019s syndrome.<\/p>\n

This behavior can likewise be seen as antisocial and may cause difficulty for the individual in integrating into groups or making friends. However, it is not actually an antisocial activity as such and is rather the result of a more general inability to suppress urges. It might also be linked with other compulsive behaviors. \"\"<\/p>\n

16. Compulsive Behaviors<\/h3>\n

Compulsive behaviors in autism can refer to many different things. For instance, they may refer to OCD-like activities: many people with autism will develop rigid routines and \u2018ritualistic\u2019 behavior for instance, which can include checking things, washing often, placing objects in a certain order, etc.<\/p>\n

In many ways, the character of Sheldon from the series Big Bang Theory actually exhibits a number of common traits associated with autism. Sheldon has very rigid schedules and routines and likes to eat at certain times of the day.<\/p>\n

Likewise, he will always knock on doors three times, etc. While this is oversimplified and played for laughs, the reality can be quite destructive. Often these routines and compulsive behaviors are very time consuming and thus can end up being debilitating and preventing that person from engaging in normal activities and getting on with their life.\"\"<\/p>\n

17. Sameness<\/h3>\n

These compulsive behaviors are closely linked with ritualistic behaviors and a general tendency for \u2018sameness\u2019. For instance, many autistic people will insist that furniture not be moved.<\/p>\n

Likewise, they might show a great amount of distress should a friend or relative change their hair cut, or if they should be moved to a different class at school.
\nAgain, many of these traits are common in young children and only point to autism when they appear alongside other symptoms that have been listed in this article.<\/p>\n

Note that there are no single or specific behaviors that are specifically linked with autism. Rather, it is the general tendency to repetitiveness and sameness that is a hallmark of the condition. \"\"<\/p>\n

18. Difficulty Eating<\/h3>\n

One of the less commonly known symptoms of autism is difficulty with food. This isn\u2019t so much a physical difficulty with eating or refusal to do so but is rather a very specific approach to eating that is tied closely with the sameness and compulsive behavioral traits that we have already observed.<\/p>\n

For instance, many ASD patients will find that they can only eat specific foods, or once again that they require a large number of ritualistic behaviors in order to eat normally. This can make it difficult for parents to try to encourage a healthy diet and turn dinner-time into something of a chore or a battle for caregivers.<\/p>\n

Difficulty eating is actually common in autistic individuals, affecting roughly three-quarters of children. There may also be more going on here too though, seeing as many children with ASD also show gastrointestinal problems<\/a>.\"\"<\/p>\n

19. Unusual Movement<\/h3>\n

Another less-often mentioned symptom of autism is motor control issues<\/a>. It is estimated that roughly 60-80% of people with ASD have motor signs such as poor muscle tone, motor planning problems, and awkward gaits. Thus, you might notice that the individuals walk or stand differently from others, that they make slower and more deliberate movements, or that they seem physically awkward.<\/p>\n

One commonly observed difference for instance is something called \u2018toe walking\u2019. These issues are pervasive across all of ASD but are particularly rife in autism specifically.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

20. Normal Behavior<\/h3>\n

Okay, this is not a symptom as such, but it is important to remember that autism does not always come with any identifiable symptoms as such. In fact, it is highly common for people with autism to look and behave just like anyone else. And as I alluded to at the start of this article, the differences that do occur are not always things that should be considered \u2018negative\u2019. We are all different and unique and our brains all work in vastly different ways.<\/p>\n

Autism<\/a> is simply a specific \u2018type\u2019 of different and one that has some drawbacks and difficulties for those with the condition, but also some unique advantages. This is simply a part of who these people are. There is no \u2018cure\u2019 for autism, just as there is no cure for a quirky sense of humor!<\/p>\n

In fact, many people with autism or ASD go on to be highly successful. Very recently, an autistic music teacher almost won Britain\u2019s Got Talent in the UK with a musical stand-up routine. In order to give autistic children the best chance of maximizing their natural abilities however, it is crucial that they get the right help and support through school and through life. And that is why being able to identify the symptoms is so crucial. \r\n

<\/div>