Unmistakable Clues Your Child Could Be on the Autism Spectrum

5. 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.

6. 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.