Symptoms of Autism to Watch For

If you have noticed that your child is not developing like they should you may want to consider taking your child to their doctor to rule out autism. There are many other conditions and disorders that can affect your child at different ages but autism is becoming one of the most common conditions. Symptoms of autism can start as early as infancy but may not be detected until after the child is around the age of two when development stages should be very noticeable.

Symptoms of Autism in Infancy

A baby who has autism may develop signs that you can look for. These signs include a baby who doesn't pay attention to objects or toys, displays no emotions, doesn't copy your actions such as when you smile at him or her they do not smile back, doesn't try to create word sounds, cannot communicate with you or others, doesn't want to talk even though he or she has already started talking, doesn't want to be around you, or has trouble communicating.

These are symptoms of autism in infancy but they can develop at any time even under the age of two. A child may seem like they are developing normally during the first few months of life and then one day you may notice that he or she has not developed a certain skill that could be vital to the way that the child can interact, learn or even socialize with others.

If you become concerned with your child's behavior, you may want to take them to their doctor for further evaluation. Before the appointment you need to watch them carefully and document their behavior to see how they are socializing with others, do they like to cuddle and snuggle with you, do they throw tantrums, do they focus on one thing and become over obsessed with the one object? These are things that you will need to report to your child's doctor if you notice it.

Once the symptoms of autism is noticed by you and once the doctor has also seen the symptoms of autism in your child then your child can begin treatment that will help to minimize the symptoms and help you and your child develop ways to live with the symptoms of autism. There are many types of treatment that will help your child deal with this condition. One of the ways is to seek counseling and work with your child one-on-one to build a better perspective of what you can expect and how to better handle everything that goes on with autism.

When symptoms of autism begin your child may not realize what is really going on and you may not know how to deal with it. The first thing that you should do is to sit down with your child and create a schedule that will keep everything on track. A child who suffers from autism likes to have a routine that is never disturbed so in order to keep this sense of routine, your child's schedule needs to include a little time for things that may arise and challenge a routine. Explain to your child what you are going to do, where you are going to go, and what you expect from them. This helps them to understand more about any changes they may experience in their schedule.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on ADHD children please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

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Autism Signs to Watch For

According to numerous medical sources, Autism is a neural development disorder which is typically characterized by the impairment of social communication and interaction as well as repetitive or restrictive behavior. Typically, the signs that Autism is present occur between the ages of 18 months and three years. Although Autism's genetics are extremely complex, it displays a strong basis in genetics.

The disorder affects the information processing capabilities of the brain by altering or changing how the synapses of nerve cells connect and then organize themselves. However, it is not completely understood how and why this occurs. There are two other forms of Autism that are recognized in the spectrum of the condition, namely Asperger syndrome and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified).

Autism signs that are characteristic of the disorder

Autistic children typically have difficulties in three critical areas of their development - behavioral, lingual, and social. Interestingly enough, two children with similar diagnoses may display different actions and different skill levels. Here is a breakdown of the three developmental areas that are Autism signs to be aware of:

Behavioral warning signs include:

o constant movement and never keeping still
o constant repetitive movements such as hand-flapping, rocking, and spinning
o despite being almost oblivious to pain, there is an unusual sensitivity to light, sound, and touch
o parts of an object, such as a toy car's spinning wheels, fascinate them and hold their attention for long periods of time
o specific rituals or routines are developed early on
o the slightest change in common routines or rituals disturbs them

Lingual warning signs include:

o beginning to talk later than 2 years of age while other developmental issues are delayed by up to 2½ years
o cannot start conversing or keep a conversation going
o does not make eye contact whenever the child is making requests
o loss of previously acquired abilities to say words or speak in complete sentences
o repetition of phrases of words verbatim without understanding how they are used
o speaking with an abnormal rhythm or tone and may use robot-like speech or a sing-song type of voice

Social warning signs include:

o appearing unaware of another child's or individual's feelings
o appears that they sometimes do not hear you or are ignoring you
o failure to respond to their names
o poor eye contact or the total lack thereof
o resistance to any type of cuddling and holding
o retreating or withdrawing into their "own world" while preferring to play alone

Though every autistic child may have their own unique style of behavior, the Autism signs listed above are the most common ones that you should look for if you fear that your child has the disorder. However, for the most part, severe Autism in children is characterized by a total inability to communicate and/or interact with other individuals. Some signs appear early on in infancy while in other cases, the child appears totally normal in the first few months of their lives and then change suddenly.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on ADHD children please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

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