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Autism information page
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- Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Common strengths of individuals with autism
- Early childhood red flags: questions for reflection
- Early childhood development videos
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that effects communication, social interactions, and behavior. “There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. Many people with ASD also have different ways paying attention or reacting to things” (CDC, 2018). Each child with ASD is unique and the abilities of individuals with ASD range greatly, just like those without ASD, from gifted to severely challenged.
“Signs of ASD begin during early childhood and typically last throughout a person’s life. ASD can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. By age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered very reliable” (CDC, 2018). Symptoms of ASD often appear in the first 2 years of a child’s life and 1 in 59 children have ASD.
“Research shows that early intervention services can greatly improve a child’s development. In order to make sure your child reaches his or her full potential, it is very important to get help for an ASD as soon as possible” (CDC, 2018). Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is considered best practice for the treatment of ASD by the Surgeon General, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Psychological Association.
“The list below gives some examples of the types of behaviors that are seen in people diagnosed with ASD. Not all people with ASD will show all behaviors, but most will show several.” (National Institute of Mental Health, 2018). Additionally, a list specific to early childhood is included below. Autism is considered a ‘spectrum’ because there is great variation in what types of symptoms individuals have and the severity of symptoms people experience.
Early childhood autism strengths
- The ability to attend to details and learn things in detail
- The ability to remember information for long periods of time
- Strong visual and auditory learners
- The ability to excel in math, science, music, art, and many other areas
- The ability to study preferred interests with intense devotion, for long periods of time, and at a higher level than same aged peers
- The ability to think differently about problems and view life in an original way
- Exceptional honesty, direct and honest communication
- Incredible passion and focus on interests
- Rule-followers and loyal
- A tendency toward logical thinking
- Independent thinking
Perspective
Autism is diagnosed based off the signs and symptoms that represent difficulties and deficits associated with it. However, individuals with autism have many strengths! As with all people, some strengths are unique to them and you know those best. But some strengths may be more common among a group of people. This is a list of only some of the strengths that may be noted in individuals with autism.
early childhood Autism red flags:
Communication
Repetitive or restrictive behavior
Social interactions
- Following a point (If you point something out, like a dog across the street, will your child look to where you are pointing?)
- Vocal rounds (Will your child go back and forth with words and/or sounds with you? Taking turns? You say something, they respond, you say something, they respond? How often do they do this? How many turns in convers
- Following a point (If you point something out, like a dog across the street, will your child look to where you are pointing?)
- Vocal rounds (Will your child go back and forth with words and/or sounds with you? Taking turns? You say something, they respond, you say something, they respond? How often do they do this? How many turns in conversation will they take? Does your child have any difficulties expressing their needs using words or actions?)
- Eye gaze (Does your child look from your face to an object then back to you to see what you think?)
- Pointing to interesting objects by 14 months (Will your child point out things they find interesting? With or without sounds or words?).
- Using a range of facial expressions(Does your child show mostly happy, neutral, or sad faces? Or will their facial expressions change to show worry, frustration, excitement, etc.)
- Coordinating nonverbal communication(Does your child use gestures, facial expressions, body movements, eye gaze, etc. to try to communicate an idea, want, need, or feeling with you? Or, does your child seem very interested in people but not know how to talk, play or relate to them? Does your child repeat words or phrases? Does your child give unrelated answers to questions?)
Social interactions
Repetitive or restrictive behavior
Social interactions
- Awareness of others and response to name (Does your child appear unaware when people talk to them but respond to other sounds? If you say your child’s name, will they turn to you, perk up, or acknowledge you somehow? Did they respond to their name by 12 months of age? If you clap or make a noise, will your child notice and/or readily resp
- Awareness of others and response to name (Does your child appear unaware when people talk to them but respond to other sounds? If you say your child’s name, will they turn to you, perk up, or acknowledge you somehow? Did they respond to their name by 12 months of age? If you clap or make a noise, will your child notice and/or readily respond? How much work does it take to get their attention? Does your child show interest in people around them?) Maintaining engagement (Does your child stay engaged with you? How much effort does it take to keep them engaged? Do they only appear to interact with you to achieve a desired goal?)
- Sharing interest and “Showing” objects (Does your child hold something, which they find neat or are excited about up to you to see so you can notice it? Do they look up toward your face for your reaction when showing? When your child is interested in something or loves a certain toy, do they try to share that interest with you?)
- Giving objects (Does your child offer you an object or toys? Do they look up at you when doing it or stare at your hands?)
- Sharing enjoyment and smiles (If your child is excited about something, do they want to share that enjoyment with you? Will they look to you and initiate a smile?)
- Personal space (Does your child prefer not to be held or cuddled? Does your child avoid physical contact? Or, do they cuddle only when they want to?)
Repetitive or restrictive behavior
Repetitive or restrictive behavior
Repetitive or restrictive behavior
- Changes in routine and flexible thinking (Does your child become upset if there is a change in their routine or an unexpected but minor change to an activity or their play? Does your child appear obsessive over a specific interest? Do they have to carry a certain object or toy of the day everywhere they go? Or, do they explore a variety o
- Changes in routine and flexible thinking (Does your child become upset if there is a change in their routine or an unexpected but minor change to an activity or their play? Does your child appear obsessive over a specific interest? Do they have to carry a certain object or toy of the day everywhere they go? Or, do they explore a variety of toys and objects in their environment? Will they move from one activity or routine to another without challenging behaviors?)
- Playing: (Does your child play “pretend” games? By around 18 months, did they do things like pretend to feed a doll or stuffed animal, pretend to cook or clean something? Or, does your child play with toys the same way every time? Does your child prefer to play by lining up toys or objects? Does your child notice parts of toys/objects, such as the wheels on cars instead of playing functionally with toys/object?)
- Repetitive behaviors (Does your child flap their hands repetitively, rock their body, spin self in circles, or vocalize with the same sound?