Problems with communication and social interaction

ASD issues with communication ranges before 5yrs of age. As communication in a normal child starts from 11/2yrs to 2yr child. These kids will have delayed communication or improper communication. ASD can also be found in adults after the age of 8-10yrs called as adult with autism spectrum disorder

Below are the signs of autism seen in children after birth :

• From birth: trouble maintaining eye contact
• By 9 months: not responding to their name, not having facial expressions reflective of their emotions like surprise or anger, hurt, fear etc
• By 12 months: not engaging in basic interactive games with parents like peek-a-boo, hide the toy, finger puppets etc not using or using very few hand gestures, like hand-waving
• By 15 months: not sharing their interests like what they like like choosing favourite dress or favourite game with others either parents or friends of their age.
• By 18 months: not pointing or looking where others point, not mimicking others, not reacting to others commands.
• Two years of age : not expressing or not understanding when others appear sad or hurt or just act like crying they don’t respond to them.
• Two and half years age : not engaging in playing or acting like mother or teaching like teachers like caring for a baby doll or playing with doll and treating the doll like baby and enact like mother or parent.
• Five years of age : not playing turn-taking games, like duck-duck goose , puzzle games like arranging the missed puzzles to form a puzzle. Missing items and finding differences in a picture etc.

Restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviour or activities
Apart from the communication and social issues mentioned above, autism also includes symptoms related to body movements and behaviours. which include:

• Resists cuddling and holding, and seems to prefer playing alone, retreating into his or her own world.
• repetitive movements, like rocking, flapping their arms, spinning, or running back and forth
• lining objects, like toys, up in strict order and getting upset when that order is disturbed
• attachment to strict routines, like those around bedtime or getting to school
• repeating words or phrases they hear someone say again and again like time time or tv tv , food etc
• getting upset over minor changes like slight changes in food pattern or sleep pattern or bed or bedsheet
• focusing intently on parts of objects, like the wheel of a toy truck or the hair of a doll which involves spinning activity. These kids generally like spinning a lot- if not got a toy which involved spinning they start doing the same spinning with hands or legs or fingers.
• unusual reactions to stimulus like sounds, smells, and tastes. Sometimes no expression or too much weird expression which generally involves physical action rather than verbal.
• obsessive interests like doing same activity repeating the same rhyme continuously even on opposing the activity. Or can be jumping continuously or can also be arranging cars in order again and again. Or repeating same talks again and again.
• exceptional abilities, like musical talent or memory capabilities- autistic child generally posses very good interests in music or memory capacity is usually very good. They are people who are very sensitive to music and possses good dancing skills to music. They are having good memory for their favourite shops or eatbles.
• loses previous ability to say words or sentences
• Can’t start a conversation or keep one going, or only starts one to make requests or label items

In few autistic child or adult with autism spectrum disorder we also see other symptoms like

• delayed movement,delayed response or delayed language, or cognitive skills
• seizures or epilepsy
• excessive anger irritation or temper tantrums
• • unusual levels of fear (either higher or lower than expected)
• hyperactive child while the child cant sit in one place or focus on any activity , inattentive to any commands given from parent or teacher , or impulsive behaviours like throwing the object, hitting, biting, pinching etc
• unexpected emotional reactions like when excited can pinch or bite the other person.
• unusual eating habits or preferences like mixing everything all food items on plate sweets with spicy and salty food together or craving for unusual food like very spicy food or extreme salty food etc
• Has problems with coordination or has odd movement patterns, such as clumsiness or walking on toes, and has odd, stiff or exaggerated body language.
• unusual sleep patterns like sleep position like child curved in womb, or sleeps on knee chest position.
• gastrointestinal symptoms, like constipation or diarrhoea. And also respiratory symptoms like recurrent cold allergy.

Causes