Which Autism Spectrum Disorders Symptoms You Look-out for ?

Children are our future and it’s true that more time and energy should be spent in the beginning years of their life for their proper development. By being aware of the normal development of a child one can pick up deviations in the early stages of life. Autism spectrum disorder or ASD is one such deviation in a child’s behavior, which can be diagnosed at an early age, thereby empowering us to help the child cope up with it at the earliest. However, before we go any further, let’s see what is Autism?

What is Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD)

Autism is one of the fastest growing developmental disability in the world, with boys being 4 times more commonly affected than girls. It is a complex neurodevelopment disorder where children have difficulty in communication, both verbal and non-verbal, impairment in social interactions and children show restrictive and repetitive behaviors and interests. The symptoms mostly appear in the first 3 years. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of children with ASD can range from being gifted to severely challenged.

Early Autism Signs You Look-out for

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders have difficulty in connecting with the world and these are some of the prominent signs that parents should look out for and seek help.

• Does not point at objects to show interest (for example, not point at an airplane or kite flying over).
• Does not look at objects when another person points at them.
• Have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in other people at all
• Doesn’t look into your eyes when interacting with you.
• Prefer Aloofness (living in his own world).
• Difficulty in understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings.
• Doesn’t like to be held or cuddled, or might cuddle only when they want to.
• Appear to be unaware when people talk to them, but respond to other sounds.
• Be very interested in people, but not know how to talk, play, or relate to them.
• Repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat words or phrases in place of normal language.
• Have difficulty in expressing their needs using typical words or motions
• Lack of pretend play (for example, not pretend to “feed” a doll. Unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound.
• Lose skills they once had (for example, stop saying words they were using).
• Repeat actions again and again.
• Find it difficult to adapt to change in routine.

If you think that your child has been displaying any of the signs mentioned above or you feel that there is something amiss in the way your child plays, learns, speaks, or acts, contact your pediatrician, and share your concerns.

In case your pediatrician is not able to resolve your concerns then ask for a referral to a specialist who can do detail evaluation of your child. Specialists who can perform a detail developmental assessment and make a diagnosis will include the following doctors:

• Developmental Paediatricians (doctors who have special training in child development and children with special needs)
• Child Neurologists (doctors who work on the brain, spine, and nerves)
• Child Psychologists or Psychiatrists (doctors who know about the human mind).

Diagnosis and Dealing with Autistic Child

Even the diagnosis of Autism can be devastating for the parents of young autistic children, but on the hindsight, it may be better to have the diagnosis. Parents may undergo strong emotions of fear, grief, and denial followed by acceptance. However, the cascade of these strong emotions also motivates them to find effective help for their child. Thus it is always advisable for parents to talk either to a group of parents who are either going through or have gone through the same situation to build a support system.

Why Hope Rises?

Renowned personalities like Sir Isaac Newton, Mozart, Albert Einstein, and Charles Darwin, Michelangelo were Autistic, so there is always a scope for some hope. And I would like to conclude with a saying from Sir Martin Luther King Junior that ‘ We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope’

Dr. Himani Khanna is a Developmental Paediatrician at Artemis Hospitals in Gurgaon.