Being a parent is arguably one of the most important tasks as a human being.
It requires a lot of attention to taking care of your baby and making sure that they are meeting every milestone in their stages of development in relation to their age.
Being their main source of needs, you always have an up-close view of how your baby is growing. And while you can see small shifts and changes in their mood or behavior, it is also crucial to observe how they build new abilities and learn social skills.
Sometimes though, you may notice some developmental delays in your child. If you know what to look for, you may be able to have early detection of some developmental differences like autism.
But first…
What is Autism?
The CDC or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that many parents who have children who show signs of autism notice the signs even within the child’s first year. By the time they turn two, it is reported that 80-90% of parents can then observe the developmental delays and differences.
Parents’ struggles in identifying the early signs of autism are believed to be highly attributed to relating it to the presence of unexpected behavior in a child – not the child’s absence of skill or lack of ability. Parents need to know that ASD, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder, starts within and is caused by differences in the brain. So there are symptoms that could range from being mildly detectable to being highly detectable.
In adulthood, the ranges could show a person with high functioning ASD, understanding or having a good grasp of language, but also show another person with low-functioning ASD who is unable to speak at all.
Living with children with ASD could often lead to situations that could make life a bit challenging. This is why it is highly encouraged by clinical trials done on the condition that early detection is crucial and most helpful in trying to manage it.
Symptoms
What should you observe in a child who shows early signs of autism?
It is important to keep in mind that not all children show the same number of symptoms, as the severity of autism also varies. However, here are some of the early symptoms:
Social differences:
- Does not babble at four months old
- Does not smile by five months old
- Does not laugh by six months old
- Has no interest in games with interaction (like pat-a-cake or peek-a-boo) by eight months old
- Keeps no eye contact or struggles to have it
- Show less or no reaction to the parent’s facial expression (like smiling)
- Cannot follow visually the direction, events or the object a parent or someone else is pointing at or towards
- Less likely to show parents an object or interest
- Most may find it hard showing proper facial expressions
- Have perception difficulties of what people think about them
- Not very empathetic towards others
- Finds it difficult to keep friends
Communication Differences
- Cannot say a single word at 15 months or a two-word phrase at 24 months
- Often parrots or echoes what other people say without really understanding them
- Does not respond when being called by name but responds to sounds ( like a cat’s meow or a car horn)
- Refers to self in second-person like “you” or to others in first-person like “I”
- Not very interested in communicating
- Not very interested in starting a conversation
- Less likely to “play-pretend”, getting objects are representation of people
- Cannot say a single word by 15 months or 2-word phrases by 24 months
- Have good rote memory songs, jingles, TV ads, topics, or numbers
- Commonly has regression, by losing language or other social milestones between ages of 15 to 24 months
Behavioral differences
- Has repetitive and Obsessive behaviors such as rocking, twisting, twirling of fingers, walking on tiptoes or flapping of hands
- Loves routines, order and rhythms; changes and transitions from one activity to another is considered hard
- Like to play with a toy “part” more than the whole toy
- Does not cry when upset, afraid, or in pain
- Sensitive to things like smells, textures, lights, sounds, and touch
- Looks at objects from unusual angles, has bizarre gaze or vision
- Have toilet training difficulty
- Have a lot of meltdowns or tantrums
- Could get physically aggressive
- Could show extreme behaviors like banging head on the wall
Takeaway
ASD is actually a lifelong condition and could be a lot more challenging to deal with if not diagnosed early.
In adulthood, people with low-functioning ASD may find it hard to understand body language, be oversensitive to stimuli or lack of order, not understand sarcasm, struggle to relate to others and have narrow interests. Though people with high-functioning ASD have a good memory and are excellent at keeping routines, they are still subject to the symptoms mentioned above.
Both low and high-functioning ASD are more prone to have anxiety disorders, leading to irritability, insomnia, heart palpitations, headaches, dizziness, repetitive thoughts of worst-case scenarios, depression, and meltdown.
Even though the ratio of autism in boys to girls remains at 4:1, another critical thing to remember is that the presence of ASD symptoms in girls could also come off differently than those of boys. Though it is still subject to research and discussion, it is highly attributed that girls mask symptoms well as they adjust faster socially than boys. However, these are just assumptions still in the process of getting verified.
In conclusion, it couldn’t be more emphasized that early detection of ASD symptoms in children is a key factor in helping them adapt early and manage their symptoms and tendencies. If you doubt whether or not you see these things in your children or your loved ones, do not hesitate to make a doctor’s appointment immediately. You also can let your child join with power autism clinical trials to seek a breakthrough.