Autism nowadays is very prevalent so it is important to screen your child in order to identify and treats autism in the soonest possible time. It is said that early intervention will improve its signs and symptoms. Sad to say, autism has no cure at this time . Autism is a brain disorder that affects social and communication skills and prevents individual from properly understanding what they see, hear and other senses that lead them to challenging behavior.
At very young age, we cannot notice if a child has autism unless we are tracking his developmental milestones in terms of crawling, rolling over, walking, talking, etc. If you see unusual behavior for his age, you can consult a Developmental Pediatrician to assess your child.
Here are some signs of autism:
• Avoids eye contact
• Delayed speech
• Echoes words or phrases
• Does not respond to his/her name
• Delayed motor skills
• Inappropriate attachment to an object
• Inappropriate giggling and laughing
• Does not point object using index finger to indicate interest
• Likes spinning and rotating objects
• Does not respond to normal teaching methods
• Does not want to hugged or touched
• No or lack of pretend games
• Restlessness and hyperactivity
• Insensitivity to pain
• Unusual body movements such as flapping hands, rocking or jumping
• Unusual behaviors such as rigid or repetitive behavior
• Extreme tantrums or crying without apparent reasons
• No understanding of fears and dangers
• No social skills or communication skills
• Does not interested to other children
• Getting adult’s hand indicating needs
• Likes everyday routines do not want change