Autism: The symptoms

How to know if your child might be autistic.

By: Dr Pieter Fourie

if a combination of the following behaviours are being presented in your child it might be a good idea to speak to a paediatrician about the possibility of autism.

• Lack of eye contact

• Not responding appropriately to their name

• Not engaging in pretend play

• Not playing peek-a-boo by eight months of age

• Not babbling by 12 months

• No pointing or waving

• No imitative behaviour by 12 months

• No words by 16 months

• No meaningful two-word phrases by 24 months

• Any loss of speech at any age

• Preferring to play alone

• Losing previously acquired skills at any age

• No sharing of enjoyment or interest

• Becoming distressed by minor changes in routine

• Performing repetitive movements such as hand flapping or rocking

• Playing with toys in unusual ways, such as spinning or lining them up

• Exhibiting over sensitivity to sounds or textures

• Being a picky eater

• Experiencing plateaus or delays in skills development

• Displaying challenging behaviours such as aggression, tantrums and self injury

• Appearing to be in their own world

• Not following any, or following too few, receptive instructions

• Repetitive movements with objects or posturing of body, arms, hands or fingers

• Being hyperactive

• Being unable to sustain their attention compared to their peers