With a prevalence rate of 1 percent, autism is now the fastest growing “serious disorder” in the world, and boys are four times more likely to have autism than girls. Many children with autism spectrum disorders may show differences from other babies during their infancy – especially in their social and language skills. However, during infancy, parents are usually more concerned about whether their baby is sitting, crawling, and walking “on schedule”; whereas during this period, differences in posture, pretend play, and social and language development are generally less noticeable. that are generally less noticeable and therefore easier for parents to miss. If the child’s speech is delayed and there are some abnormalities, then parents may notice that the child’s interactions with peers are also abnormal. A child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) will not have the same symptoms as another child with ASD – the number and severity of symptoms will vary greatly between individuals. Social Differences in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder 1. makes no or little eye contact; 2. does not respond to smiles and other facial expressions from parents; 3. does not look at objects or things that a parent is observing or pointing out to him or her; 4. does not point out an object or a thing to a parent; 5. does not show an object or a personal interest to his or her parents; 6. often fails to show appropriate facial expressions; 7. fails to recognize others by their Cannot perceive what others are thinking or feeling through their facial expressions; 8. Cannot show concern or empathy for others; 9. Cannot make friends or has no interest in making friends. Communication Differences in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): 1) Cannot point to an object to express their needs or share with others; 2) Cannot say a single word until 16 months of age; 3) Repeats words in their entirety without understanding the meaning of the other person’s words (often called picking up on them or echoing them); 4) Does not respond to being called by their name but does respond to other sounds (e.g., a car); 5) Does not respond to being called by a person’s name but does respond to other sounds (e.g., a car). Reacts to other sounds (e.g., a car honking, or a cat purring); 5. Confuses pronouns by referring to himself or herself as “you” and others as “I”; 6. Often acts like he or she does not want to communicate; 7. Cannot start or continue a conversation; 8. Does not use toys or toys in pretend play; 9. Does not use toys or toys in pretend play. 8. does not use toys or other objects as substitutes for people or real life in pretend play; 9. may have excellent rote memorization skills, especially for numbers, letters, songs, television lyrics, or a particular topic; 10. may not experience developmental milestones in language or other socialization, which usually occur between 15 and 24 months of age (often called regression). Behavioral differences in children with autism (repetitive and compulsive behaviors): 1. Shakes, spins, wiggles, twists fingers, walks on tiptoes for long periods of time, or claps hands (defined as “fixation”); 2. Prefers to follow routines, order, and rituals; is not good at change; 3. Is obsessed with some or unusual activities and repeats them; 4. Only likes to play with toys. 4. prefers to play with parts of a toy rather than the whole toy (e.g., keeps spinning the wheels of a toy truck); 5. does not seem to have a strong sense of pain; 6. may be extremely sensitive to smells, sounds, light, materials, and touch, or may be completely insensitive; 7. has an unconventional view or gaze of an object – looks at an object from an unconventional point of view. object from an unconventional angle. How to tell if a child really has autism during developmental stages At 12 months of age, a typically developing child will turn his head when he hears his name. A child with autism may not turn his head to see who is calling him, even if he has been called many times. But he will respond to other sounds. At 18 months of age Children with language delays will go on to point, than move, or use facial expressions to make up for their lack of language. A child with autism may not try to compensate for his or her speech delay in other ways, or may simply pick up on words they hear on TV or other words they have just heard. At 24 months of age A typically developing child will bring a picture to his mother and share the joy he gets from it A child with autism may bring a bottle of bubble blowing water for his mother to open, but will not look at his mother’s face when he hands it to her and asks her to open it and may not share the joy of blowing the bubbles with her. If you don’t feel quite right about the way your child is playing, learning, talking, behaving, and moving right now, visit a professional pediatrician for help. Remember, you are the one who knows your child best and your concerns are very important. Your doctor will work with you to find the best way to help your child. If you are hesitant about this doctor’s advice, then don’t hesitate to consult another doctor. The sooner you get professional help, the more likely you are to realize the greatest improvement.