Symptoms Of Autism in Kids

It is important to understand the symptoms of autism in kids as it can help parents and teachers better understand how they behave. This will allow them to create a plan for their child. Autism often causes children to have repetitive behaviors, speech difficulties, and more! Read on for more information about autism symptoms in kids.

Autism

Autism spectrum disorder abbreviated as ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder generally caused by genetic mutation or because of family history of autistic disorder, sometimes it occurs because of metabolic imbalance and some viral infection. This affects the normal development of the brain hence resulting in abnormal brain functioning that continues till lifetime.

The Symptoms of Autism in Kids

The signs or symptoms of ADS can be observed in an environment of home, school and in social gatherings. For proper handling and care of any disorder or ailment  it is very significant to know exactly where the problem lies and it is only possible when we have knowledge of symptoms of the problem. It is a developmental disability and can be recognized by different symptoms.

Hence here are signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorder for your knowledge.

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children

Autism is a neurological disorder caused due to abnormal brain development, family history of autistic disorder, gene mutation, and sometimes  low birth weight become the cause of this disease. Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder start to appear early at two years of age.

Its signs can be discovered by parents as well as by teachers. Here you will learn some signs of autism spectrum disorder in children.

Early Symptoms of Autism Baby

An infant with ASD shows signs of illness at the age of nine months or above but according to the Autism science foundation these signs can be observed by two months. infants at this age start showing many signs in their early months that prove as alarming signs that something needs to be done, and they are the serious indications that we should do something.

 A healthy baby starts responding when his/her name is called or starts looking at when the name is called by someone, but it is not a case in a toddler who has autism spectrum disorder he/she doesn’t respond and doesn’t pay attention to its surroundings. Parents can observe their children’s behavior and should definitely contact their doctors if they observe any sign mentioned below in their child.

Sign of autism spectrum disorder by 2 month

Normal two month child usually start responding to a loud sound, he/she passes smiles too and  when feel hungry bring his hand to mouth these  are normal behaviour but the baby with autism spectrum disorder does not have these behaviours he shows these signs;

1. Never locate the sound source

Normal infants at their early age respond to loud sounds and can locate sound sources easily.Sometimes they start weeping or crying when they hear something noisy but the toddlers with autistic spectrum disorder do not show this behaviour.

2. Do not move his hand to mouth

Healthy infant moves his hand toward his mouth when he feels hunger or for seeking relaxation by sucking four fingers of hands; it is a natural response but autistic infants do not show these signs. He does not bring his finger to mouth. 

3. Does not move the eye with moving thing

Due to abnormal brain development an infant of two month does not locate things by moving their eyes as a healthy child can do.

4. Rare or No eye contact

Healthy children at the age of two month start making eye contact but those with autism spectrum disorder make no or a rare eye contact, as their brain does not function as a healthy infant and does not respond to things as a healthy child.

5. less/ no control over their joints and muscles

An infant with autism spectrum disorder has abnormality in their part of the central nervous system that helps in coordinating body joint and muscles coordination.

6. Never passes smiles 

A two month infant starts passing smiles when we talk to or play with them. It shows that they know we are talking to them but due to abnormal brain development infants with autism spectrum disorder do not smile or do not respond when others talk.

7. Do not look for attention

An infant at an early age requires their parents’ attention as they show such signs that indicate they need the attention of their parents, especially mother but a toddler with autism spectrum syndrome does not look for attention.

8. Troubled sleep

As it is proved that sleep is connected with normal brain functioning, if the toddler is healthy he will have a healthy sleep time that is 15 to 16 hours in a day  but they feel difficulty in sleeping if they have autism spectrum disorder.

9. Does not hold thing in one hand

A healthy baby at the age of two months can easily hold a thing in his her hand but for a short time they can hold tight the finger of others, you can observe this behaviour in an infant easily, but when we talk about babies with autism spectrum disorder they cannot hold the finger or never pay attention to a thing because of abnormal brain development and functioning.

10. Absent of reflex movements

Infants during the age of 1-2 month show some reflex movements as they can spread their fingers when heard a loud sound as a reflex action toward the sound, but ASD infants do not show any reflex movements.

Signs of autism spectrum disorder by 4 month

By four month of age children with autism spectrum disorder do not complete the milestones that a healthy child can easily complete, the four month infant gets control on his head, they can use their feet to push themselves while some more active infants can roll themselves. 

In this age they can produce a voice, try to speak up and call for their mother’s attention by showing warm feelings.

But an infant having autism spectrum disorder has the following feelings and shows different behaviour.

1. Do not makes sounds

They avoid making sound with their mouth, as a complex neurodevelopmental disorder autism causes many neurological impairment in the child. The infant having ASD can produce sound but the pattern of their sound is different from the speech sound they produce atypical sound different from other infants. It is because they cannot recognize the language pattern due to poor brain development so it affects them negatively and they cannot produce the sound pattern required for speech.

2. Do not brings object to their mouth

Infant by the four month can hold a toy tight using finger of their hand they can move the toy and can take it to to their moth it is a healthy behaviour almost all children shows this behaviour but a child with autism spectrum disorder cannot hold an object as they cannot judge how to control their hand muscles so they cannot bring their hand or anything toward their mouth.

3. Do not moves eyes in all direction

When we call an infant he generally look toward us or when an infant by the age of four month heard a sound produces he easily locate the sound source and move eyes toward the medium but it is not in the case of an infant having autism spectrum disorder they cannot locate the sound source nor they can move their eyes in different directions all because of poor neurological development.

4. Cannot control hand and legs movement

Infants can push their lugs at their tummy time they can easily use their hand to grasp, push and hold. When calling for their mother’s attention they can push their body with the help of their feet but it is not the case in the child having ASD as they cannot control their leg movements. The part of the central nervous system that controls body muscle and joint movement is not developed enough hence not supporting their hands and legs movements.

5. Cannot hold head

A healthy infant by the age of 4 month can hold their head and can control its movement by the help of the neck. They can balance their head, neck and trunk. They can easily move their heads in different directions to see things. They can easily coordinate their muscles and can reach toward a toy and can hold their toys easily in both of their hands but an infant having autism spectrum disorder cannot coordinate his muscle and cannot easily move head. They cannot balance their movements.

Signs of autism spectrum disorder by age of 6 month

A six month old can easily coordinate muscles movement they can see as a young person can move backward and in forward direction using hand and knees, they start crawling and sitting as they can balance their muscles and joint movement easily. They laugh while they play and show warm feelings toward the people they know, hence, they get control over most of the actions.

But an infant with Autism spectrum disorder shows the following behaviour;

1. Do not laugh

Babies having autism spectrum disorder do not show affection and they rarely laugh. They also show some repetitive behaviour in their movements and they do not smile when they are approached by their parents or any other relative.

2. Donot produce different sounds

6 months child start producing vowel sounds and sometime start experimenting different sound pattern as they produce vowels and consonants altogether like aha, gah, boh and many more but in ASD infant they have delayed or somewhat infrequent babbling stage, they don’t experiment with the sounds.

3. Does not reaching for the objects 

Much of the development start during this age as the baby use to coordinate his her muscles their left brain functions more they can move object pass things from one hand to the other they can also give and take things here one can observe the difference as an autistic syndrome child have no such signs and they do not attain these milestones. Due to weaker control on their join and muscles they cannot hold things using both of their hands they cannot easily pick a toy laying down they cannot move ahead toward the object as they have delayed crawling.

4. Do not Looking around

Autistic children have less developed brains. That’s why they have troubled cognitive behaviour. They cannot look around as their control room of eyes  in the brain does not function properly.

The autistic infant found it difficult to view sideways.it is because they cannot control their central and peripheral visions as a healthy child does.

5. Do not seek parent attention

They want to live alone and don’t call for their parents’ attention and lack empathy towards their caregivers. They even do not recognise the familiar faces as a healthy child can at the age of six, he not only recognise but class for their mother and father and show affection toward them.

6. No eye contact

Absence of eye contact may be regarded as the first alarming sign of Autism spectrum syndrome as an autistic child does not make eye contacts. They intentionally look at different patterns and get involved in them.

These children find difficulty in eye contact as they consider it troublesome or sometimes stressful for them. It is because of their personal indifferences. Hence the found withdrawal in avoiding eye contact.

7. Do Not display warm expression

They certainly have no affection for their family, for their caregivers and for the familiar faces, all because they have different interpersonal and social behaviour. They avoid playing with others while a healthy baby passes smiles and loves to be with others and does not like to live or stay alone in the room at the age of six, he tries to move ahead and get close to the people.

When you observe a baby don’t showing these signs and have not achieved these milestones at the age of six do not wait consult your doctor immediately as some intervention can help to minimize the trouble associated with the autism spectrum disorder.

Signs of autism spectrum disorder by age of 8 month

At the age of eight month babies learn more than four to five words they can spoke “mama”, “mom” and call for their attention they try to stand with some support and try to move their legs they can sit without a support, move forward and backward, can crawl, get close to the object, show face gestures and many more but the trouble is when a baby by age of 8 month do not reach to these mle stones instead of these he have these signs;

1. Do not recognize familiar people

If a baby feels difficulty in recognizing familiar faces or those he sees daily or weekly then there is definitely a problem.

It has been reported that an autism spectrum syndrome child does not recognize familiar faces; he shows no affection toward the people as he does not like social interactions.

2. Does not sit 

Autistic children find it difficult to sit while having support. They feel trouble in their head , neck and back coordinations hence feel trouble while sitting.

3. Do not say words

An 8 month old with autism spectrum disorder does not say words they have some atypical sound patterns and sometimes speak repetitive sounds. They mostly produce nonsensical speech sounds that we call “jargon”.

4. Do not look where you says

When you point out something or ask a baby to look in a certain direction he will find difficulty in looking where you are told as they have poor muscles and eye coordination due to their poor brain development.

Signs of autism spectrum disorder by the age of 10 month

Most children at the age of ten-month start taking steps with or without support. It has been observed that some children start walking at the age of 10 month while some speak up early at this stage they can make short sentences, ask questions and express feelings by some broken sentences as they have a healthy language acquisition stage. 

A child with autism spectrum syndrome does not have these, they do not reach these milestones and show the following signs;

1. Do repetitive movements

Children with autism spectrum syndrome show some repetitive gestures and have indifferent movements. It is the most significant symptom through which we can easily diagnose that a child has autism spectrum disorder. It is reported that autistic children finds some pleasure and it is a source of happiness for them so they repeat some movements 

Examples of repetitive movements.

• Swirling 
• Head banging
• Complicated muscles and joint movements
• Flapping hands
• Flicking

The repetitive movements are different in different child’s it depends upon their interests and is a kind of withdrawal from the social environment.

2. Too much/ not too sensitive toward sounds

We can say that these children are somewhat sensitive to noise. 30-90% of children having autism spectrum syndrome may overreact or ignore sounds. Some of them are more sensitive to noise while others completely ignore it.

Human brain and nervous system controls the reactions toward stimulus and in autistic children here lies the real problem: they do not judge how to react to different sounds. Sometimes they ignore while on other incidents they overreact to the sound.

3. Does not like to interact with  people

Children with autism spectrum disorder wish to live and play alone as they have adjustment problems. They feel uncomfortable in social gatherings and when they see too many people at a public place they overreact by crying and weeping.

4. Do not like to play simple games

Child at the age of 10 month likes to play simple games, he can manipulate toys and love to play with them but autistic children play imaginatively they do not love to play with toys as other children at their age do.

5. Involvement  with toys

Autism spectrum syndrome children at the age of ten month become oversensitive and overactive to some toys. They arrange them in different manners as they have problems in making patterns so they cannot manipulate them exactly.

Signs Of Autism Spectrum Disorder During First Year

Most children having autism spectrum syndrome start showing signs of disease in the first year of their age as they do not reach those milestones as a healthy child in their age can do.

Due to some genetic problems, the brains of children having ASD grow fast between ages 1-3years but parts of brains do not collaborate with each other and cause many adjustment problems. 

Parents can diagnose their child by observing the symptoms of autism spectrum syndrome.

ASD child shows the following signs at the age on 1 year;

Display unusual body movements

A  child between the ages of 12 to 24 months shows unusual body movement. They show some repetitive movements as;

• Flicking the light button
• Flushing toilet again and again
• Repetitive jumping movements
• To and fro movements
• Unusual hand and arm flapping

Obsessive attachment to object

Children with autism spectrum syndrome become oversensitive to different objects. They carry a toy and an object for a longer period of time as they cannot manipulate its position due to weak cognitive skills.

Sometimes they get over sensitive and emotional toward some toys and do not leave them or always carry them wherever they go.

Play in unusual manners

A child with autism spectrum syndrome plays in a different manner. They love to play with parts of toys instead of a whole as he loves to spin the wheel of a car again and again instead of playing with the whole car.

They even arrange their toys in line or sometimes in an unusual pattern. Sometimes they become overactive with some toys.

Not respond to their names

When you call their name, a child having autism spectrum disorder does not respond to their names, they do not look at you or neither become alert.

We can say it is a most significant yet alarming sign that a child has autism spectrum disorder as a normal child can judge and know his name and respond immediately when we call him.

Sometimes a child gets involved too much in their activities or in play and they are focusing on one object so they do not respond to a call but if this behaviour is consistent then it is a sign of autism spectrum disorder.

Do not try to gain attention

Children with autism spectrum syndrome love to play alone; they do not like to gain attention as it hurts them  or they do not feel good in gatherings.

If your child wants to play and live alone consult the doctor. Maybe it is a sign of ASD.

Do not smile in response to yours

At the age of 12-24 month children learn to respond and show facial gestures while talking but it is missing in those having autism spectrum disorder. They do not smile in response to yours as they do not know how to interact with others. Sometimes they show different facial expressions while speaking.

Signs Of Symptoms Of Autism In Children Second Year

A child with autism spectrum disorder can speak, walk, hold toys, play with friends and can express their feelings and most importantly they follow instructions.

Here the difference lies when they do not reach these milestones and show these symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.

Not able to speak

Studies have reported that a child with autism spectrum disorder has delayed speech and they do not produce meaningful words. They learn to talk at a late age as they are not able to conceive words due to poor neurodevelopment. They have a motor disorder that’s why they do not produce meaningful sounds.

Have limited inventory of words

They have limited inventory of words so they cannot speak the sentences. They often want to speak but don’t have the proper words they need to make sentences. They cannot memorize as early as a healthy child can.

Difficulty in following instructions

Autistic children do not follow instruction as they cannot perceive and understand what is told. They feel difficulty in following instruction and it is regarded as a most significant sign of autism spectrum syndrome.

Autistic children may need more time to process all those instructions or I can say plenty of instructions so it causes difficulty for them, hence it is hard for them to follow what is told.

Do not express what they feel

The children having autism spectrum disorder find it hard to express their feelings as it is reported by different studies that they cannot recognise their  feelings that’s why they are not abl;e to express the feelings.

a 2 years old child can understand different feelings like they smile when they are happy, they cry when something unpleasant happens or someone takes their toy. They even show shyness to a stranger as they understand these emotions but autistic children do not express these as they have poor or in some cases no cognition.

Do not make friends

It is another significant sign of autism spectrum syndrome that these children do not like the company of others and do not like to socialize so they avoid making friends. They have indifferent behavior which is another reason they are not able to find friends who can understand them.

Signs Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In Children Ages 3 To 6 Year

The behavioural symptoms of autism spectrum disorder usually appear at the ages 3 to 6 years.

The children at this age usually show most of the autism spectrum disorder as in kindergarten stage they show different learning, speaking behaviour.

They mostly display these symptoms;

Repeat words and phrases

They repeat a word or a phrase many times, they often speak the sentences that they hear in a movie. They usually speak those phrases repetitively that soothes them or those they love to speak.

Sometimes they repeat everything they listen to and they repeat it in a sing-song voice.

Cannot easily comforted

They are not soothed and comforted easily when they get upset. It is really very troublesome to normalize them.

Impulsive and are aggressive

Children at this age do not understand the environment and cannot judge others so they become impulsive and sometimes aggressive. They cannot manipulate the world and the things that show impulsion as well as aggression towards them is also a more significant sign of autism spectrum syndrome.

Avoid physical contact

They do not love to be touched and they avoid physical contact with others as it irritates them.

Not able to point people and things

They cannot point out things and people and it is also assumed as a sign of autism spectrum syndrome. It is regarded as the first most significant sign of autism. They don’t point out things with their index finger as poor coordination of brain and muscles.

Irregular eating time

They have different eating habits. Sometimes they show sensitivity to some foods while at other times they eat it. They also show sensitivity to different smells.

Irregular sleep time

Due to poor brain development autism spectrum disordered children have difficulty in sleep they cannot easily go to sleep and have irregular bedtime.

Show fear

It is reported that children show fear of something that is unscary or sometimes they are not afraid of scary things. They express their fears by avoiding those things and events, as it is difficult for autistic child to express their fears so when they withdraw or avoid those situations, person or an object it is a sign that shows their fear.

Signs Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In Adults

Common signs of autism in adults are; 

Difficulty in interpreting others

They do not understand other feelings nor they can understand jokes and sarcasm they cannot interpret other feelings, gestures and emotions.

Engage in repetitive behaviour

They like to do some acts repetitively as it soothes them and makes them relax. They flick the light again and again or like to open and close the door many times. Sometimes they talk repetitively about some event again and again, they usually love to talk about the things that interest them.

Participates in restricted activities

The adults having autism spectrum syndrome participate in restricted activities and things. They love to do those activities that they like, they do not participate in different activities nor do they experience any new activity. It is all because they have delayed perception; they cannot understand things and process new information quickly.

Have consistent daily routine

They love a routine in their activities, they do restricted activities and have a consistent daily work routine and they dislike any change in them. They do repetitive things and use to do the same thing in the same manner  without making any change.

Use their own inventory of words in expressing things

They cannot converse on a topic for a long time and they don’t speak for a long time. They have a short inventory of words and feel difficulty in searching for words that can express their feelings. Hence, they avoid long discussions.

Signs Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In Women

Women with autism spectrum disorder display different behaviour than men they show these symptoms;

Inability to listen peoples

They cannot listen to others nor they love to listen as they cannot understand their conversation hence they avoid participating in any discussion.

No facial gestures

Their facial gestures do not match with the words they speak. Sometimes they do not have any facial expressions.

Like to be alone

They dont love to socialize and they love to stay alone and avoid other company.

Difficulty in completing tasks at home

They cannot complete their tasks at home, they cannot keep the house clean as they cannot judge that it is dirty nor can they wash dishes they leave some plates in a dishwasher. The women having autism spectrum syndrome cannot remain strict to a task.

Obsession and anxiety

They become a victim of depression and some mood disorders all because of poor brain development they sometimes have obsessiveness to certain things and places. 

Signs Of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Older People

Autism is a non curable disease as it is a developmental disorder and does not get worse with age it remains as it was in young age. Yet the signs of autism spectrum disorder are visible at all ages, old people that have autism show these symptoms;

Struggle in social interactions

They find it difficult to express themselves in front of others hence they do not like to socialize and meet people as they do not understand them. Sometimes their conversation irritates them.

Retard behaviour

They express some kind of retard behavior as their behavior is not normal and they don’t express their feeling when interacting with others they avoid making eye contact, so the people do not understand exactly what they need and what they like to do.

They cannot decide between things and are not able to engage with others.

Do not like change

They avoid changes and do not like disturbance in their routine. They follow a strict routine in their life and dislike changes. They even do not like changes in their surroundings nor do they welcome any new things in their room. 

We cannot say these are the only  signs or symptoms of autism spectrum syndrome they vary from person to person but the signs that remain consistent throughout the age and are called as significant sign of autism are;

• No eye contact
• Repetitive behaviour
• Repetitive body movement
• Talk without expression
• Delayed speech
• Consistent routine life
• Under or over sensitive to sound, smell, taste. 

It is important to diagnose a problem to minimize its effects as early it is diagnosed as quick it can be controlled. Intervention at early stages helps to minimize the symptoms.

Conclusion

Conclusion paragraph: This article has provided you with information about the symptoms of autism in kids. If you or someone close to you is experiencing these signs, have them see a doctor as soon as possible so they can get the help they need to adjust their life and live it more comfortably. Thank for reading!

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