Since the beginning of time, parents have had universal concerns. They worry about pregnancy, then delivery, then about the baby having all five fingers and toes and being healthy all around.
Nowadays, the worrying doesn’t stop there. Whether or not parents want to admit it, the majority of them worry about their child having autism.
Autism can be such a scary subject for parents. Most parents know they don’t want their child to have it, but they do not fully understand it.
Oftentimes, an adult will know of a child with autism and then believes that all autistic children look like that particular child. This is just not true.
When a child is diagnosed with being on the autistic spectrum, they are diagnosed by behavioral observations. There is a checklist of characteristics that children must present with to be diagnosed.
Imagine a huge pool of characteristics. The individual characteristics in this pool are not necessarily problematic. In fact, many of us may have one or two of the characteristics with no problems. The problem arises when a child has multiple characteristics that are getting in the way of their development. And, each child may be different because they have a unique combination of characteristics.
Here are some of the main characteristics that are looked at in determining if a child may have the autism diagnosis. Impairments with social interactions such as:
- Lack of using nonverbal behaviors. For example, the child is not trying to communicate by pointing, or taking your hand and walking you over to what they want, etc.
- Lack of meaningful eye contact. Some children may appear to be looking through others seeing them as obstacles in their way, but do not have intimate eye-to-eye connections with others.
- Lack of facial expression. The child does not use their facial expressions to communicate emotions with others.
- Unusual body postures in social environments. The child may remove him/herself from the group, may stand in the opposite direction of others, or cover themselves with their arms as if to shield their body from the environment.
- Failure to develop age appropriate peer relationships. One would expect parallel play from a 2-year-old and the typical acknowledgment of other children. A child with this type of autistic characteristic would not acknowledge other kids in a social way; they may instead see others as obstacles in the room like furniture. They may see others as threats to their personal space, etc.
- Lack of trying to share their own enjoyment with others
- Lack of engaging socially or emotionally with others
Communication delays such as:
- Delay or lack of verbal skills
- Delay or lack of using verbal skills to get their needs met (some children may repeat things but do not use words to have social interaction)
- No attempt to communicate with body language
- Lack of imaginative play. This characteristic presents more with repetitive play.
Have repetitive patterns of behavior such as:
- Preoccupied by random objects or items that are not necessarily age appropriate such as lights, doors, a random piece of a toy.
- Preoccupied with patterns and shapes
- Being inflexible and/or repeating routines that have nothing to do with the agenda of the day
- Repetitive motor mannerisms such as flapping hands or arms, strange body movements in repetition, etc.
- Preoccupied with parts of objects such as the wheel to a car, thus not seeing the object as a whole.
Many pediatricians are implementing a new questionnaire for parents of 2-year-olds and recommend a 2½ year-old visit. The idea is that autistic characteristics are most likely detected at this point. Waiting for the 3-year-old visit doesn’t allow for early intervention services to be implemented at the most effective time.
However, doctors don’t always have the ability to assess the screening questions because most children come in crying, or are very quiet. Parents may not see characteristics as unusual. Many parents have suspicions, but aren’t emotionally ready to face them. They, understandably, try to prove that their child shouldn’t be put into that category.
The earlier a child is diagnosed and treated, the better. The majority of children who are diagnosed early in life actually do quite well later in life. Many learn to interact in social settings, make friends, excel in academics, and function well as responsible adults.
Early detection and early intensive therapies is the best recipe for the child’s future success!
