Autism: Signs to Watch For

While having a child is one of the most magical and amazing times in a new parent’s life, having a child newly diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can lead to increased anxiety, stress, and a new set of fears and concerns. Although there is no blood test or medical test for a doctor to use to determine if a child has ASD, a child can receive a diagnosis from their doctor through observation, input from their parent, and various assessment or testing tools to make that determination. When determining if a child has ASD, a diagnosing professional, such as a doctor, neurologist, or clinical psychologist will refer to the symptoms detailed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition or DSM 5 to determine if the child meets the detailed criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Below is a summary of the symptoms the child must meet in order to receive the Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis which will be presented in a checklist format.

Autism Diagnostic Symptoms (Summary):

• Difficulty in social communication and social interaction across multiple situations
• Difficulty with initiating and responding to social-emotional interactions
• Difficulty with back-and-forth conversation
• Difficulty sharing interests of others
• Difficulty with emotions or showing emotions
• Difficulty responding to and using nonverbal communication, eye contact, and body language
• Difficulty using and responding to nonverbal gestures
• Lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication
• Difficulty in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships
• Difficulty adjusting behavior to suit the social situation and contexts
• Difficulty sharing imaginative play
• Difficulty or not interested in making friends
• May engage in restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior or engage in stereotyped or repetitive motor movements
• May engage in retentive speech, lining up objects or flipping objects
• Insistence on sameness or inflexible adherence to routines
• Insistence to routines or distress with small changes or transitions
• Rigid thinking patterns or fixated interests
• Hyper- or hypoactive to sensory input or sounds
• Unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment or indifference to pain/temperature
• Excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement)

If you are concerned that your child has ASD, please reach out to your pediatrician and local healthcare professional to express your concerns. An early diagnosis can help your child begin the process of being referred for services and therapy that can make a major, positive impact on your child’s abilities such as Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy.
Carrine Pilkington, M.S., BCBA, LMFT, LBA
Regional Clinical Director
Tuesday, April 27, 2021