Recognising Autism

Recognising autism at an early stage can significantly help a child’s growth and give them the support they need. Autism or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental condition that refers to the condition that affects someone’s ability to think and interact with others, and can also change how they process certain information. Autism spectrum disorder does not only have one type, but many. Some autistic people have the ability to speak while others are non-verbal or minimally verbal and communicate in other ways (e.g. sign language, facial expressions). Many people with autism generally experience other medical, behavioural or mental health issues that accompany autism, such as seizures, chronic GI issues, and sleep and eating issues. 

Signs and symptoms of Autism:

Common symptoms of autism in children include:

1. Not responding to their names
2. Having trouble interacting with others
• Starting conversations
• Sharing emotions
• Understanding what others are feeling or thinking
3. Repetitive behaviour
• Making repetitive body movements (e.g. hand flapping, running back and forth and spinning)
4. Avoiding eye contact
5. Sticking to routines and repetition of actions
6. Delay in speech and language developments
7. Avoiding communication attempts

Common signs and symptoms of autism in babies:

• Social interaction challenges
• Limited eye contact: Babies with autism may have restricted eye contact with people around.
• Lack of social smiles: Many babies start to smile in response to others at around 6-8 weeks, but babies with autism may not show this response
• Lack of interest in social games: Babies with autism may not engage in simple social games and may not respond to their name being called by 6-12 months
• Limited response to social signals: babies may not respond to facial expressions, gestures or body language

• Limited communication skills:
• Delayed speech development: Some babies may not start to develop language skills as expected. Some may not speak at all or speak in a repetitive way.
• Limited gesture communication: Babies may not use gestures like pointing to express their feelings and wants by the age of 12 months.
• Lack of attention: Babies with autism may not show interest in objects, animals or people or lose interest in on going conversations / games.
• Repetitive or unusual sounds: Some babies with autism may make repetitive vocalisations or sounds that may seem out of place

• Repetitive behaviours

• Repetitive gestures or hand movement: Some babies might display repetitive motions, such as hand flapping, finger flicking or body rocking
• Rigid routines: A baby with autism may become distressed if there is a slight change in their routine or environment (e.g. less sleep, change of weather)
• Extreme or unusual responses: Babies with autism may have hyper reactions to certain stimuli, like being overly sensitive to light or showing no reaction to pain.
• Obsession on objects: Babies with autism might show unusual focus on certain objects like spinning wheels or lights.

• Limited emotional expression:

• Delayed emotional responses: Babies with autism may have difficulty expressing emotions or might seem unaffected by actions that usually result in strong feelings.
• Difficulty with controlling emotions: They may have challenges regulating emotions resulting in frequent meltdowns or outbursts.

Common signs and symptoms of autism in adults:

• Communicating and understanding

• Difficulty with understanding vocal gestures: Adults might find it hard to pick up on the meaning behind different tones of voice, words, sarcasm and body language
• Unusual speech patterns: Some adults with autism may speak too loudly, or too softly 
• Difficulty expressing emotions: Adults with autism may find it difficult to express emotions or respond to others’ emotions appropriately 
• Echolalia: Some adults may repeat phrases or words they have heard

• Workplace and independent living challenges:

• Need for structured and fixed environment: Adults with autism often prefer to work in a fixed environment and may struggle to adapt to changes or ambiguous expectations
• Struggles with executive functioning: Issues such as forgetfulness, disorganisation or trouble with time management can affect the daily life of an autistic adult

• Physical and behavioural signs:

• Clumsiness: Some adults with autism might struggle with their physical movement, which can make them clumsy
• Stimming: Stimming behaviours like tapping, rocking or hand-flapping may still be seen in some adults with autism, especially when feeling anxious or agitated
• Unusual posture or movement: Adults with autism may have uncommon body language or movement patterns