Autism is characterized by the alteration of the individual’s ability to communicate and establish social relationships, and by the existence of repetitive behaviors. This neurological disorder occurs in 1 in every 100 births.
It is a complex condition that affects the development of the child, it is usually diagnosed around the age of 3, and there are no differences in its appearance in different cultures or social classes. It is more common in boys than in girls. and according to the DSM-V it belongs to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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Each individual with autism experiences symptoms differently and with different degrees of severity. However, The following 10 signs and symptoms are considered the warning symptoms of autism in children. :
1. Disconnection with others
Children with autism often appear distant or disconnected with loved ones (parents, siblings, etc.). For example, these people may appear to have no emotional connection and do not understand the difference between facial cues. In other words, children with autism often do not react differently to a frown or a smile from another person.
Studies carried out on this disorder indicate that people with autism are unable to formulate an explanation for the thoughts or behavior of others. That is, they present a deficit in the theory of mind. Theory of mind refers to the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Another common characteristic of children with autism, which also has to do with theory of mind, is that they have difficulties empathizing with others. Although a lack of empathy can be difficult to detect and assess effectively in infants and toddlers, there are specific signs that show a lack of ability to empathize.
Autistic children seem to have difficulty understanding or appreciating situations from other people’s perspectives. This is because they think that everyone understands the world the way they do, which can cause confusion or the inability to foresee or understand the actions of others.
3. They are indifferent to social interactions
The vast majority of children are naturally very sociable. However, children with autism do not spend time looking at others’ faces, responding to hearing their name, imitating others’ facial expressions, or holding others’ hands during play. Instead, heChildren with autism often do not seem very interested in participating in normal developmental games and activities. including socialization and imitation of other people.
These signs begin to appear at 18 months of age, and as socialization with others continues, symptoms may become more noticeable. For example, at 3 years of age, normal children often want to play with toys with other children. Autistic children, on the other hand, prefer to play alone.
4. Presence of emotional outbursts
In some cases, Children with autism may show disproportionate emotional reactions in seemingly normal situations. For example, context-inappropriate tantrums or physically aggressive behavior toward themselves (e.g., head banging), their parents, siblings, or others.
They may seem unable to control their emotions and physical responses, especially when they find themselves in new, strange, or stressful situations. Parents should carefully monitor their children’s social responses throughout their development, and become familiar with the milestones and behavioral expectations a child should display when he or she reaches a certain age. Although it is relatively rare, These types of emotional outbursts should be taken into account and mentioned to a specialist as it can help make a correct diagnosis.
At 2 years of age, most babies begin to babble or imitate the language of those who interact with them and utter a single word when pointing at an object or trying to get their parents’ attention.
However, children with autism do not begin to babble or speak until much later. In fact, some they do not begin to show significant language skills until they begin working with a speech therapist.
6. Prone to non-verbal communication
Due to the fact that autistic children do not develop verbal communication skills at the same time as normal children, they may show a propensity for non-verbal communication.
For example, They can use visual or physical means of communication such as drawings or gestures to make requests or engage in back-and-forth dialogue. Another telltale sign of autism is that children may show a decline in their verbal skills; for example, they may lose vocabulary.
Often, children with autism also have trouble understanding that people sometimes express themselves figuratively. As mentioned, they do not derive any secondary meaning from attitude or facial expressions, nor do they detect communication signals based on tone of voice; For example, they do not distinguish a happy tone of voice from a sad or angry tone of voice.
Another related symptom is that autistic children They tend to have more trouble distinguishing between what is real and what is fiction. Interestingly, autistic children can be very vivid imaginatively, and some seem to prefer to inhabit their own imaginary worlds.
Individuals with autism are more likely to exhibit repetitive behaviors.
For example, they may arrange and rearrange the same group of objects back and forth for extended periods of time or repeat the same word or phrase obsessively. This is one of the most easily identifiable symptoms.
9. They present Pica
Pica Syndrome is associated with autism since 30% of children with this disorder also have Pica.
This behavior is characterized by children ingesting substances that are not nutritious, such as dirt, stones, paper or biological substances. Although Pica can also be seen in other children at an early age, individuals with autism continue to perform this practice at older ages.
10. Sensitivity to external stimuli
Sensitivity to external stimuli is another early warning sign of autism. For example, autistic individuals may become stressed or agitated when exposed to specific noises, bright lights, particular smells, or tastes, and some autistic children may avoid certain colors, clothes, sounds, lights, or areas of the house, for no apparent reason.
However, they can also become extremely sensitive to certain stimuli, and They will insist on the use of certain items of clothing or colors rooms with bright lights or loud sounds, and enjoying touching or playing with specific parts of the body. Many autistic children also experience emotional stress when they are deprived of their favorite stimuli.
