What Are the Behaviors of Autism?

What are the behaviors of autism? Patients diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders will most likely exhibit autistic behaviors that could be perceived by other people as inappropriate. What are the behaviors of autism? These may include problems in terms of them socializing with other people, and expressing themselves just to name a few. In this article, you’ll learn what are the behaviors of autism?

While the following are not part of the official diagnostic criteria for autism/ autism spectrum disorder, patients usually suffer from one or more of these behaviors:

Sensory Problems

What are the behaviors of autism? Many kids diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders either overreact or under – react to sensory stimuli. There will be times where they will ignore people as if they are not there. But there could also be times that they become disturbed by even the softest sounds. For them, sudden noises can be upsetting. They usually respond to these by covering their ears, and making repetitive noises in order to drown out the sound. Kids diagnosed with autism spectrum may also be highly sensitive to texture or touch. They could cringe when someone pats them on their backs unexpectedly, or if they feel a certain texture against their skin.

Emotional Difficulties 

What are the behaviors of autism? Autism spectrum disorder patients can also have a hard time expressing themselves and/ or regulating their feelings. For example, the child may start to cry, laugh, or yell for no reason. When they become stressed, he/she may turn to aggressive or disruptive behavior. They may start hitting other people, breaking their things, or even harming themselves. According to The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, there are some kids who are not aware or perhaps unfazed by real dangers such as heights, roads and the likes. On the other hand, some of them could be afraid of the harmless objects like their own toy.

Uneven Cognitive Abilities 

What are the behaviors of autism? Autism Spectrum Disorder happens at all levels of intelligence. However, even children with normal to high cleverness can have unevenly developed cognitive skills. Verbal skills usually tend to be weaker than their non – verbal skills. Aside from this, kids with ASD usually do well on tasks that involve visual skills or memorization. Tasks like abstract thinking or symbolism could be hard for them.

Savant Skills

What are the behaviors of autism? There are approximately 10% of patients diagnosed with ASD with “savant” skills. This is similar to the character that Dustin Hoffman portrayed in the movie Rain Man. The most common savant skills usually include artistic and musical abilities, feats of memory and mathematical calculations to name a few. For instance, an autistic savant may be able to play a piano concerto after hearing it for the first time, they can quickly memorize complex maps, or they can multiply large numbers.

What Are the Behaviors of Autism: Diagnosis

What are the behaviors of autism? Diagnosing an Autism Spectrum Disorder can be time consuming and hard. As a matter of fact, it’s often 2 to 3 years after the first symptoms are noticeable, and before a diagnosis can be made. This is partly due to concerns about incorrectly or labeling diagnosing the child. However, an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis can also be delayed if the physician does not take a parent’s concerns seriously. It can also be due if the family isn’t referred to the right professionals who specialized in developmental disorders.

If you are worried that your child has Autism Spectrum Disorder, it is best to seek out a clinical diagnosis. However, it’s important to note that you don’t have to wait for diagnosis to get your kid into treatment. It’s best to have an early intervention particularly during the pre – school years. This will surely improve your child’s chances for overcoming his/ her delays in development. So don’t worry if you happen to be waiting on an official diagnosis, it’s best to already look into possible treatment options. Putting a potential label on the problem of your kid is far less important than treating his/ her symptoms.

Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder

What are the behaviors of autism? In order for you to determine whether your kid has ASD, or perhaps another kind of developmental condition, professionals look at the way the patient interacts with others. They look into how they behave and also communicate to other people and to themselves. Autism Spectrum Disorder is based on the patterns of behavior that the patient exhibits.

If you’re concerned that your kid has ASD, and developmental screening confirms this, your physician will most likely refer you to an autism specialist. Your pediatrician may also refer you to a team of specialists so that your child can undergo a comprehensive evaluation. Since the diagnosis of ASD is complicated, it’s important that you meet with specialists who have received training and highly specializes in this condition.

The team of specialists involved in diagnosing patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder may include:

• Child psychologists
• Child psychiatrists
• Speech pathologists
• Developmental pediatricians
• Pediatric neurologists
• Audiologists
• Physical therapists
• Special education teachers

What are the behaviors of autism? As mentioned earlier, diagnosing ASD isn’t a brief process. There’s no single medical evaluation that can diagnose it definitively. Instead, what you can do to pinpoint your kid’s problem accurately is through multiple tests and evaluations.