Autism Symptoms Checklist
There has been a great deal in the news lately about the increase in autism. You might wonder how you would know if your child was autistic. There are some symptoms that you can watch for in your child. If you see any of the symptoms of autism in your child you should ask your doctor to evaluate your child. The sooner the child is diagnosed the sooner they can receive treatment.
1. A child with autism will not reach the typical milestones that other children reach until a much later age. If you are noticing that your child is not reaching the milestones until much later than they should, you should speak with your doctor.
2. A child with autism might not speak. Children will begin to
speak at
different ages and every child is different. If you notice that your
child is
not even making the typical babbling noises that babies make by the age
of one
year old, you should discuss the problem with the doctor.
3. A child with autism will not make eye contact. If you notice
that your
child will not look at you when you are speaking it might be a cause for
concern. Children will often look directly at the person who is speaking
to
them, autistic children do not. They will also not look at something
that you
are pointing to. Instead the autistic child will look beyond the thing
that you
are pointing at.
4. Autistic children do not show emotion like other children.
They do not
smile when someone smiles at them and they do not seem to show any
emotion
regarding someone else feeling pain or sadness. They will also not want
to be
held and cuddled.
5. Most autistic children prefer to play alone. They find it
difficult to
relate to other children and do not understand when someone is joking or
playing
with them. They will take everything that someone says to them
completely
literally.
6. An autistic child can often lose newly acquired skills. They
will
learn something new one day and then a week later be unable to perform
the new
skill as though they have forgotten how.
These are some of the symptoms of autism that you should look for in your child. If you see any of these signs you should discuss it with your doctor. Your child might not exhibit all of the signs of autism. It is important that you talk to your doctor if you see any of the signs. The sooner a child receives treatment the better off they will be.