Autism is classified as a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in markedly abnormal social interaction, communication ability, patterns of interests, and patterns of behavior. Although the specific etiology of autism is unknown, genetic factors appear to be important.
There is great diversity in the skills and behaviors of individuals diagnosed as autistic, and physicians will often arrive at different conclusions about the appropriate diagnosis. Much of this is due to the sensory system of an autistic which is quite different from the sensory system of other people, since certain stimulations can effect an autistic differently then a non-autistic, and the degree of how the sensory system is effected varies wildly from one autistic to another autistic.
Nevertheless, professionals within pediatric care and development often look for early indicators of autism in order to initiate treatment as early as possible. However, some people do not believe in treatment for autism, either because they do not believe autism is a disorder, or because they believe it can do more harm than good.
Typically developing infants are social beings—early in life they do such things as gaze at people, turn toward voices, grasp a finger, and even smile. In contrast, most autistic children prefer objects to faces and seem to have tremendous difficulty learning to engage in the give-and-take of everyday human interaction. Even in the first few months of life, many do not interact and will avoid eye contact, seemingly indifferent to other people.
Autistic children often appear to prefer being alone rather than in the company of others and may resist attention or passively accept such things as hugs and cuddling without caring. Later, they seldom seek comfort or respond to parents' displays of anger or affection in a typical way. Research has suggested that although autistic children are attached to their parents, their expression of this attachment is unusual and difficult to interpret. Parents who looked forward to the joys of cuddling, teaching, and playing with their child may feel crushed by this lack of the expected and typical attachment behavior.
Social Development
Autistic children lack "theory of mind", the ability to see things from another person's perspective, a behavior cited as exclusive to higher primates such as adult gorillas, adult chimpanzees, adult bonobos and children above the age of five. Typical 5-year-olds understand that other people have different knowledge, feelings, and intentions, interpretations based upon social cues (e.g., gestures, facial expressions). An individual with autism lacks these interpretation skills, an inability that leaves them unable to predict or understand other people's actions. The social alienation of autistic and Asperger's people is so intense from childhood that many of them have imaginary friends as companionship. However, having an imaginary friend is not necessarily a sign of autism and also occurs in non-autistic children.
Although not universal, it is common for autistic people to have difficulty regulating their behavior. This can take the form of crying or verbal outbursts that may seem out of proportion to the situation. Individuals with autism generally prefer consistent routines and environments; they may react negatively to change. It is not uncommon for individuals to exhibit aggression, increased levels of self-stimulatory behavior, self-injury, or extensive withdrawal in overwhelming situations.
Sensory Integration Dysfunction
A key indicator to clinicians making a proper assessment for autism would include looking for sensory integration disorder. Children will exhibit problems coping with the normal sensory input. Indicators of this disorder include oversensitivty or underreactivity to touch, movement, sights, or sounds; physical clumsiness or carlessness; poor body awareness; a tendency to be easily distracted; impulsive physical or verbal behaviour; an activity level that is unusually high or low; the inability to unwind or calm self; difficulty learning new movements; difficulty in making transitions from one situation to another; social and/or emotional problems; delays in speech, language, or motor skills; specific learning difficulties/delays in academic achievement.
One common example is an autistic's hearing. The autistic may have trouble hearing certain people while other people are louder than usual. Or the autistic be unable to filter out sounds in certain situations, such as in a large crowd of people. However, this is perhaps the part of the autism that tends to vary the most from person to person, so these examples may not apply to every autistic.
Lisa Angelettie, M.S.W., is a psychotherapist, author, and an online advice expert. She has been helping people make smarter life choices since 1998. Visit her for Advice & Counseling, or take a free Depression Screening today.
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