What Are The Signs Of Autism?
Autism is a variation in neurological development classified as a type of developmental disability that occurs in around one percent of individuals worldwide. There are various indicators an individual may be on the autism spectrum. Everyone with autism is unique, and there is no one specific way the condition presents. It's crucial to understand the ways different symptoms can present, as stereotypical portrayals of autism have caused many individuals to be misdiagnosed or undiagnosed until adulthood. Though autism impacts every aspect of an affected individual's day-to-day life, many autistic individuals say their neurodivergence allows them to have a more creative and unique perspective on the world. Many individuals with autism go on to lead successful, happy, productive, and fulfilling lives.
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Issues With Language Development
Children with autism or others on the spectrum typically don't develop language with the same markers neurotypical children do. There are certain milestones neurotypical children tend to meet at certain ages. If a child doesn't meet these milestones, they may be autistic. Children usually begin babbling and cooing by twelve months old, and they begin saying singular words by sixteen months. By two years old, most children can say two-word phrases. Children who don't meet these milestones may be autistic, or they may have other developmental issues that make learning language difficult. About twenty-five percent of children with autism are nonverbal, which means they don't speak at all. Some nonverbal children can communicate in other ways like pointing or sign language.
There haven't been many studies regarding how autism influences the development of language over time, though researchers have observed some children with autism use vocabulary far more advanced than their peers, which indicates a high level of intelligence and information retention. In the past, autism that presented without significant language impairment was diagnosed as Asperger's syndrome, but nowadays everything is covered under the same spectrum.
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Limited Eye Contact
Limited eye contact is one of many behavioral cues that indicate an individual may have autism. That said, not making eye contact isn't always an indication of autism. Lack of eye contact also doesn't mean the individual isn't paying attention to their environment or engaged with the world around them. The reasoning behind limited eye contact hasn't been conclusively proven, but individuals with autism have described various reasons. It may be difficult for the affected individual to focus on another's eyes and spoken words simultaneously. It's also possible eye contact is a learned social behavior children with autism don't pick up on. Many children and adults with this condition feel like they gather more about someone by watching their hands or eyes. Eye contact also has the potential to be an overwhelming and intense experience that causes sensory issues. For all of these reasons, individuals with autism may prefer not to make eye contact, but that doesn't mean they aren't interested in communicating.
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Struggles With Understanding Feelings Of Others
Individuals with autism or who are considered to be on the spectrum can struggle with understanding the feelings of others. However, there is a misconception that all of these individuals are unable to recognize feelings or read emotions. This is not true. About fifty percent of individuals with autism also have alexithymia, which is a difficulty with identifying the emotions they're feeling. One study indicated individuals with autism and alexithymia were less likely to feel empathy for others. By contrast, individuals who had autism without alexithymia had typical levels of empathy for others. It's also worth noting just because someone doesn't understand another's emotions does not mean they don't care about the other's feelings. Some individuals with autism say they need to teach themselves to read certain body cues and facial expressions others may interpret instinctively. Some individuals with autism also say it's difficult for them to understand what's upsetting someone else without having it specifically explained. It's possible for individuals with autism to understand and care about the feelings of others, but communicating those feelings often needs to be more blunt than neurotypical individuals are used to.
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Exhibits Repetitive Behaviors
One common sign of autism is repetitive behaviors. These behaviors might involve hand flapping, spinning, rocking, or any other physical motions. The repetition of these motions can help soothe individuals who are having sensory issues or experiencing an emotional overload. However, repetitive behaviors aren't always a sign of distress. 'Stimming' involves repetitive or unusual motions that can express joy or pleasure. In the past, many treatments for autism aimed to reduce or eliminate repetitive motions, though this is more harmful than helpful. Forcing children to sit still when they want to move can lead to severe stress and even trauma. There's nothing wrong with using repetitive motion. The only types of repetitive behaviors that should be stopped are ones that cause harm, like banging one's head or biting. Rather than trying to stop these behaviors, it's better to encourage them as methods of self-expression.
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Upset By Changes In Routines
Children and adults with autism can both become upset by changes in routines. Many affected individuals have specific rituals and routines they develop. These can be soothing and help them cope with heightened levels of anxiety, which many individuals with autism experience due to sensory issues and trouble with social functioning. The DSM-5 outlines multiple ways this can occur. Individuals might need to eat the same foods or take the same routes each day, may experience rigid patterns in thinking, may have distress when small things are changed, or have trouble transitioning into a new place or period of life. Preventing these rituals can lead to extreme levels of distress, which compounds with any anxiety that already exists. The routines can become a problem if they become so excessive that they interfere with an individual's daily life. Any routine that reaches a point where it causes distress rather than helping is an indication of a problem.
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Monotone Speech
Individuals with autism can sometimes struggle to speak with inflection and emotion. When neurotypical people communicate, the words themselves are just part of the puzzle. The tone of voice and accompanying body language make up a huge percentage of the meaning. Individuals dealing with autism have trouble deciphering the meaning of tonal changes instinctively, though many adults with autism say they learned to interpret them as children by paying close attention. This is part of why those with autism sometimes have trouble detecting sarcasm or double meanings. When these individuals speak, the lack of tonal inflection may be reflected in their speech. This doesn't mean they don't have any feelings or aren't trying to communicate. Rather, it simply means communicating meaning through pitch and inflection isn't their most comfortable form of communication. It's more helpful for those around them to understand this than for them to be forced to adapt to a communication style that feels unnatural.
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Abnormal Facial Expressions
Abnormal facial expressions can also be a sign of autism. Inexplicable expressions can also occur in a variety of other neurodivergent conditions including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and certain psychotic disorders. Neurotypical people sometimes mistakenly think the abnormal facial expressions are a sign of disinterest, inappropriate emotional responses, or predatory behavior. But this is not true at all. Like with inflection in speech, individuals with autism sometimes struggle to use facial expressions to communicate. They may have flat and removed expressions, or they might seem excited or unhappy about news that doesn't warrant that reaction. Many individuals with autism talk about how they practiced mimicking other people's facial expressions as children so they'd stop seeming weird. If a child has a strange facial expression for a conversation, it's possible they're trying to imitate their neurotypical peers for acceptance. Individuals with autism should never be demonized for not emoting the way neurotypical people do, and should be allowed to express feelings and thoughts in the way that feels most comfortable to them.
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Extreme Interest In Specific Things
Autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are two neurodivergent conditions that share many traits. In the past, they were actually considered to exist on the same spectrum. One of the things that's common in both conditions is a phenomenon called 'hyperfocus.' In it, an affected individual may become extremely interested in specific things. They will then develop a singleminded focus on their current interest, learning everything they can about it and creating things related to it and talking to anyone who will listen about it. When an individual with autism is interested in something, studies indicate they have a significantly better ability to concentrate and absorb information than their average neurotypical counterparts. The flip side of this, though, is it will often be impossible for them to focus on anything other than their interest. This can be frustrating to the individuals around them; if they can focus on one thing, it's hard to understand why they can't just switch tasks and focus on the other. But for an individual with autism who is hyperfocusing, attempting to think about other things isn't possible since their brain is entirely occupied.
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Not Fond Of Being Touched Or Comforted
One classic sign of autism is a child who's not fond of being touched or comforted. Parents often instinctively try to comfort their children by hugging them, petting their hair, kissing them, and squeezing them. But this kind of touch, especially if it's unexpected or unasked for, can feel more like an assault than comfort to an individual with autism. Parents might want to teach their children to tolerate their touch. But even if a child with autism is trained not to react to being touched in ways they don't like, they still won't like them. They'll just learn not to express that. If someone actually wants to comfort a child or other individual with autism, they need to take the time to learn about how they feel about touch. They should practice asking permission to touch and hug them, and back off if they're told no. And if they don't like hugs and prefer to be comforted through words or contactless company, they need to adapt their communication to fit them. Not the other way around.
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Sleep Disturbances
Sleep disturbances are a little-discussed, but very prevalent, issue for individuals with autism. There are several potential reasons for this including sensory issues, racing thoughts, emotional discomfort, and repetitive physical behaviors that make settling down difficult. Despite the vast prevalence of sleep issues in individuals with autism, researchers are still compiling evidence about it. Studies indicate anywhere from forty-four to eighty-six percent of children with autism experience serious sleep issues. Only ten to sixteen percent of neurotypical children experience these problems. The wide range in individuals with autism is because different studies defined serious sleep issues in different ways. Individuals with insomnia have to take eleven more minutes than a neurotypical person to fall asleep, on average. Many also experience frequent nighttime wakings and sleep that doesn't feel restorative.