Autism Symptoms

Autism - Symptoms
Core symptoms
The severity of symptoms varies greatly between individuals,
but all people with autism have some core symptoms in the
areas of:

Social interactions and relationships.
Symptoms may include:
Significant problems developing nonverbal communication
skills, such as eye-to-eye gazing, facial expressions,
and body posture. Failure to establish friendships with
children the same age. Lack of interest in sharing enjoyment,
interests, or achievements with other people.Lack of empathy.
People with autism may have difficulty understanding another
person's feelings, such as pain or sorrow.

Verbal and nonverbal communication.
Symptoms may include:
Delay in, or lack of, learning to talk. As many as 40% of
people with autism never speak. Problems taking steps to
start a conversation. Also, people with autism have difficulties
continuing a conversation after it has begun. Stereotyped
and repetitive use of language. People with autism often
repeat over and over a phrase they have heard previously
(echolalia). Difficulty understanding their listener's
perspective. For example, a person with autism may not
understand that someone is using humor. They may interpret
the communication word for word and fail to catch the implied
meaning.

Limited interests in activities or play.
Symptoms may include:
An unusual focus on pieces. Younger children with autism
often focus on parts of toys, such as the wheels on a car,
rather than playing with the entire toy. Preoccupation with
certain topics. For example, older children and adults may
be fascinated by video games, trading cards, or license plates.
A need for sameness and routines. For example, a child with
autism may always need to eat bread before salad and insist on
driving the same route every day to school. Stereotyped
behaviors. These may include body rocking and hand flapping.

Symptoms during childhood
Symptoms of autism are usually noticed first by parents and
other caregivers sometime during the child's first 3 years.
Although autism is present at birth (congenital), signs of
the disorder can be difficult to identify or diagnose during
infancy. Parents often become concerned when their toddler
does not like to be held; does not seem interested in playing
certain games, such as peekaboo; and does not begin to talk.
Sometimes, a child will start to talk at the same time as
other children the same age, then lose his or her language s
kills. They also may be confused about their child's hearing
abilities. It often seems that a child with autism does not
hear, yet at other times, he or she may appear to hear a
distant background noise, such as the whistle of a train.
With early and intensive treatment, most children improve
their ability to relate to others, communicate, and help
themselves as they grow older. Contrary to popular myths
about children with autism, very few are completely socially
isolated or "live in a world of their own."

Symptoms during teen years
Autism - Symptoms
During the teen years, the patterns of behavior often change.
Many teens gain skills but still lag behind in their ability
to relate to and understand others. Puberty and emerging
sexuality may be more difficult for teens who have autism than
for others this age. Teens are at an increased risk for
developing problems related to depression, anxiety, and
epilepsy.

Symptoms in adulthood
Some adults with autism are able to work and live on their own.
The degree to which an adult with autism can lead an
independent life is related to intelligence and ability to
communicate. At least 33% are able to achieve at least partial
independence.Some adults with autism need a lot of assistance,
especially those with low intelligence who are unable to speak.
Part-or full-time supervision can be provided by residential
treatment programs. At the other end of the spectrum, adults
with high-functioning autism are often successful in their
professions and able to live independently, although they
typically continue to have some difficulties relating to other
people. These individuals usually have average to
above-average intelligence.

Other symptoms
Many people with autism have symptoms similar to attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But these symptoms,
especially problems with social relationships, are more
severe for people with autism. For more information, see
the topic Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

About 10% of people with autism have some form of savant
skills-special limited gifts such as memorizing lists,
calculating calendar dates, drawing, or musical ability.

Many people with autism have unusual sensory perceptions.
For example, they may describe a light touch as painful
and deep pressure as providing a calming feeling. Others
may not feel pain at all. Some people with autism have
strong food likes and dislikes and unusual preoccupations.

Sleep problems occur in about 40% to 70% of people with
autism.

Other conditions
Autism is one of several types of pervasive developmental
disorders (PDDs), also called autism spectrum disorders
(ASD). It is not unusual for autism to be confused with
other PDDs, such as Asperger's disorder or syndrome, or
to have overlapping symptoms. A similar condition is
called pervasive developmental disorder-NOS (not otherwise
specified). PDD-NOS occurs when children display similar
behaviors but do not meet the criteria for autism. It is
commonly called just PDD. In addition, other conditions
with similar symptoms may also have similarities to or
occur with autism.