Autism is a serious disease that can affect all aspects of development and can result in a lifetime of disability. Although not commonly acknowledged by the Medical Profession or in the popular press, there are effective treatments available for autism. One of the most important first steps is to learn to recognize autism symptoms and signs. After getting a diagnosis of autism it is important to get an accurate assessment of your child’s abilities. The information will open the door to critical clinical services like specialized education programs, speech, occupational and physical therapies. These services are an essential part of your child’s recovery.

Symptoms of Autism

Usually, ASD children seem fairly normal in the first year of life. If the ASD child is your first, it may be very difficult to recognize autism signs since you don’t really know what to expect. Even if this is not your first parenting experience, pediatricians, educators, well-meaning family members, and so-called experts constantly tell us that all kids develop in their own way and time. This is certainly true, but in retrospect, most parents of ASD kids can recall some early signs of a problem, such as these very telling autism symptoms:

• Not making eye contact when talking, talked to or called
• Don’t smile when they see familiar people
• Limited or no baby talk (babbling or pre-speech)
• Don’t point or understand pointing
• Failure to play infant games like peek-a-boo, patty-cake or waving bye-bye
• Fixation on certain toys, objects, movies
• Failure to learn and consistently use familiar words
• Loss of words
• Odd non-verbal vocalizations (squeals, squeaks, grunts, melodic utterances)
• Lack of interest in family members
• Don’t like to be hugged or cuddled
• Repetitive rocking and twirling
• Arm and hand flapping
• Walking on toes
• Looking “sideways” (glancing out of side of eye)
• Easily upset by changes to routine or changing activities
• Don’t turn towards sudden noises (but can hear)

Or these traits that are harder to interpret as specific to ASD:

• Sensitivity to certain textures or being touched
• Sensitivity to bright light – especially fluorescent lights
• Sensitivity to loud or unusual sound
• Very limited diet and refusal to even try certain types of food. Often this is based on texture more than flavor.
• Frequent severe abdominal pain
• Long periods of screaming with no recognizable cause
• Weak muscle tone and uncoordinated movement
• Insensitivity to pain
• Unusually strong ability to memorize
• Inability to sleep or frequent waking during the night / gives up napping at an early age
• Self-injurious behaviours like biting and head banging

In addition to these clues, many ASD kids have repetitive and unexplained rashes, frequent ear infections, frequent bouts of diarrhea and/or constipation and severe colic. Some ASD kids are just the opposite - never sick. If your child exhibits several of the above symptoms, do not wait! Download our free article Recognizing Autism to get a copy of this autism symptoms list and the tests that are used to diagnose autism. If you still suspect there is a problem with your child then seek medical evaluation immediately.

Autism Assessments

Diagnosing autism or one of the autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) requires a neuropsychological evaluation which should spells out in plain English the developmental deficiencies your child has. You have probably recognized many of these problems yourself and the evaluation should accurately reflect your observations since you know your child best. However, you might find yourself exaggerating your child’s capabilities and getting angry when the evaluation claims your child can’t do something you know they can. This is the natural parental defence mode kicking in, but you must try to avoid this tendency. It is VERY important to get a good and objective clinical appraisal. The neuropsychology evaluation should contain the results of a parent interview and the results of an inventory filled out about your child. The Conner’s Parent Rating Scale-revised(S), the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale are common and important components to a complete neuropsychological evaluation.

A neuropsychologist with experience in autism and ASD will know which additional tests are most important for your child. One common and important test is the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III). It has both verbal and visual components. This is very important because one very common and telling aspect of autism is extreme unevenness between verbal and visual skill. Your child might be years ahead in performing some visual tasks and way behind in things like word reasoning or the ability to name words on cards. Some of the most frustrating aspects of these tests are that your child might be fully capable of doing the task if you ask them in just the right way or when you know they are receptive – and might be completely unwilling to pay attention when the clinician is administering the test. The social/emotional limitations of autistic children make it hard for them to understand the importance of doing what adults tell them to do. It is really not necessary to fully understand the nuances of the various tests – that is why you are paying a neuropsychologist. You just need to be convinced they are doing an adequate job assessing your child.

There are other early evaluations which may be carried out on your child. These include behavioural psychology, occupational therapy and speech pathology. At this point, the more evaluations the better, as they will accurately document your child’s status and open the doors to special services your child needs. Be sure to carefully file all these reports in your reference book, organized by type of test. As your child is reevaluated, be sure to keep your records filed chronologically as well. For example, behavioural problems documented by behavioural psychologists can be used to argue for placement of your child in a specialized private school or autism program.

Once you have an accurate diagnosis of your child’s disease, you can move forward and begin treatment. Effective treatment has two parts; identification and treatment of the unique biochemical problems at the root of their disease and clinical services to give them the skills they did not acquire during development. If you don’t follow through on BOTH parts of the treatment, your child will not reach their full potential. For more information on effective treatments for autism, read Conquer Autism.

Read more free autism articles on this website:

Understanding Autism / Autism Causes-Toxic Heavy Metals / Signs and Symptoms-Play / Signs and Symptoms-Language Problems / Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) / Autism Indications for Immediate Evaluation / Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) / After the Diagnosis / After the Diagnosis-Assembling and Managing the Team / Conquer Autism Chapter Summary

Purchase the Conquer Autism eBook with all this information and much more.