What Are the Symptoms of Autism?
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by
social-interaction difficulties, communication challenges and a tendency
to engage in repetitive behaviors. However, symptoms and their severity
vary widely across these three core areas. Taken together, they may
result in relatively mild challenges for someone on the high functioning
end of the autism spectrum. For others, symptoms may be more severe, as
when repetitive behaviors and lack of spoken language interfere with
everyday life.
As
illustrated by the graph on the left, the basic symptoms of autism are
often accompanied other medical conditions and challenges. These, too,
can vary widely in severity.
While autism is usually a life-long condition, all children and
adults benefit from interventions, or therapies, that can reduce
symptoms and increase skills and abilities. Although it is best to begin
intervention as soon as possible, the benefits of therapy can continue
throughout life.
Social Challenges
Communication Difficulties
Repetitive Behaviors
Physical and Medical Issues that may Accompany Autism
Social Challenges
Typically developing infants are social by nature. They gaze at
faces, turn toward voices, grasp a finger and even smile by 2 to 3
months of age. By contrast, most children who develop autism have
difficulty engaging in the give-and-take of everyday human interactions.
By 8 to 10 months of age, many infants who go on to develop autism are
showing some symptoms such as failure to respond to their names, reduced
interest in people and delayed babbling. By toddlerhood, many children
with autism have difficulty playing social games, don’t imitate the
actions of others and prefer to play alone. They may fail to seek
comfort or respond to parents' displays of anger or affection in typical
ways.
Research suggests that children with autism
are attached to
their parents. However the way they express this attachment can be
unusual. To parents, it may seem as if their child is disconnected. Both
children and adults with autism also tend to have difficulty
interpreting what others are thinking and feeling. Subtle social cures
such as a smile, wave or grimace may convey little meaning. To a person
who misses these social cues, a statement like “Come here!” may mean the
same thing, regardless of whether the speaker is smiling and extending
her arms for a hug or frowning and planting her fists on her hips.
Without the ability to interpret gestures and facial expressions, the
social world can seem bewildering.
Many persons with autism have similar difficulty seeing things from
another person's perspective. Most five year olds understand that other
people have different thoughts, feelings and goals than they have. A
person with autism may lack such understanding. This, in turn, can
interfere with the ability to predict or understand another person’s
actions.
It is common – but not universal – for those with autism to have
difficulty regulating emotions. This can take the form of seemingly
“immature” behavior such as crying or having outbursts in inappropriate
situations. It can also lead to disruptive and physically aggressive
behavior. The tendency to “lose control” may be particularly pronounced
in unfamiliar, overwhelming or frustrating situations. Frustration can
also result in self-injurious behaviors such as head banging, hair
pulling or self-biting.
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Communication Difficulties
By age three, most children have passed predictable milestones on the
path to learning language. One of the earliest is babbling. By the
first birthday, most typically developing toddlers say a word or two,
turn and look when they hear their names, point to objects they want or
want to show to someone (not all cultures use pointing in this way).
When offered something distasteful, they can make clear – by sound or
expression – that the answer is “no.”
By contrast, young children with autism tend to be delayed in
babbling and speaking and learning to use gestures. Some infants who
later develop autism coo and babble during the first few months of life
before losing these communicative behaviors. Others experience
significant language delays and don’t begin to speak until much later.
With therapy, however, most people with autism do learn to use spoken
language and all can learn to communicate.
Many nonverbal or nearly nonverbal children and adults learn to use
communication systems such as pictures (image at left), sign language,
electronic word processors or even speech-generating devices.
When
language begins to develop, the person with autism may use speech in
unusual ways. Some have difficulty combining words into meaningful
sentences. They may speak only single words or repeat the same phrase
over and over. Some go through a stage where they repeat what they hear
verbatim (echolalia).
Some mildly affected children exhibit only slight delays in language
or even develop precocious language and unusually large vocabularies –
yet have difficulty sustaining a conversation. Some children and adults
with autism tend to carry on monologues on a favorite subject, giving
others little chance to comment. In other words, the ordinary “give and
take” of conversation proves difficult. Some children with ASD with
superior language skills tend to speak like little professors, failing
to pick up on the “kid-speak” that’s common among their peers.
Another common difficulty is the inability to understand body
language, tone of voice and expressions that aren’t meant to be taken
literally. For example, even an adult with autism might interpret a
sarcastic “Oh, that's just great!” as meaning it really is great.
Conversely, someone affected by autism may not exhibit typical body
language. Facial expressions, movements and gestures may not match what
they are saying. Their tone of voice may fail to reflect their feelings.
Some use a high-pitched sing-song or a flat, robot-like voice. This can
make it difficult for others know what they want and need. This failed
communication, in turn, can lead to frustration and inappropriate
behavior (such as screaming or grabbing) on the part of the person with
autism. Fortunately, there are proven methods for helping children and
adults with autism learn better ways to express their needs. As the
person with autism learns to communicate what he or she wants,
challenging behaviors often subside. (See section on Treatments.)
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Repetitive Behaviors
Unusual repetitive behaviors and/or a tendency to engage in a
restricted range of activities are another core symptom of autism.
Common repetitive behaviors include hand-flapping, rocking, jumping and
twirling, arranging and rearranging objects, and repeating sounds,
words, or phrases. Sometimes the repetitive behavior is
self-stimulating, such as wiggling fingers in front of the eyes.
The tendency to engage in a restricted range of activities can be
seen in the way that many children with autism play with toys. Some
spend hours lining up toys in a specific way instead of using them for
pretend play. Similarly, some adults are preoccupied with having
household or other objects in a fixed order or place. It can prove
extremely upsetting if someone or something disrupts the order. Along
these lines many children and adults with autism need and demand extreme
consistency in their environment and daily routine. Slight changes can
be extremely stressful and lead to outbursts
Repetitive behaviors can take the form of intense preoccupations, or
obsessions. These extreme interests can prove all the more unusual for
their content (e.g. fans, vacuum cleaners or toilets) or depth of
knowledge (e.g. knowing and repeating astonishingly detailed information
about Thomas the Tank Engine or astronomy). Older children and adults
with autism may develop tremendous interest in numbers, symbols, dates
or science topics.
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Associated Medical Conditions
Thanks to donor support, Autism Speaks continues to fund research
into the causes and treatment of the medical conditions associated with
ASD. You can explore these studies here. This research is reflected in the comprehensive care model at the heart of our Autism Treatment Network(ATN) clinics. To find out if there is an ATN clinic close to you, click here.
For in depth information on medical conditions, please see our
website’s related pages: “Treatments for Associated Medical Conditions”
and “What Treatments are Available for Speech, Language and Motor Impairments,
” in addition to the information below.
Genetic Disorders
Some
children with autism have an identifiable genetic condition that
affects brain development. These genetic disorders include Fragile X
syndrome, Angelman syndrome, tuberous sclerosis and chromosome 15
duplication syndrome and other single-gene and chromosomal disorders.
While further study is needed, single gene disorders appear to affect 15
to 20 percent of those with ASD. Some of these syndromes have
characteristic features or family histories, the presence of which may
prompt your doctor to refer to a geneticist or neurologist for further
testing. The results can help guide treatment, awareness of associated
medical issues and life planning.
Gastrointestinal (GI) Disorders
GI distress is common among persons with autism, and affects up to 85
percent of children with ASD. These conditions range in severity from a
tendency for chronic constipation or diarrhea to inflammatory bowel
disease. Pain caused by GI issues can prompt behavioral changes such as
increased self soothing (rocking, head banging, etc) or outbursts of
aggression or self-injury. Conversely, appropriate treatment can improve
behavior and quality of life. Please see our treatment section on
“Gastrointestinal Disorders.” It includes discussion of popular dietary
interventions. Thanks to donor support, Autism Speaks continues to fund research into causes and treatments.
Seizure Disorders
Seizure disorders, including epilepsy, occur in as many as 39 percent
of those with autism. It is more common in people with autism who also
have intellectual disability than those without. Someone with autism may
experience more than one type of seizure. The easiest to recognize is
the grand mal, or tonic-clonic, seizure. Others include “petit mal”
seizures (when a person temporarily appears “absent”) and subclinical
seizures, which may be apparent only with electroencephalogram (EEG)
testing.
Seizures associated with autism tend to start in either early
childhood or adolescence. But they may occur at any time. If you are
concerned that you or your child may be having seizures, it is important
to raise the issue with your doctor for possible referral to a
neurologist for further evaluation.
Sleep Dysfunction
Sleep problems are common among children and adolescents with autism
and may likewise affect many adults. For more information and helpful
guidance, see our ATN Sleep Strategies Tool Kit (available for free download).
Sensory Processing Problems
Many persons with autism have unusual responses to sensory input.
They have difficulty processing and integrating sensory information, or
stimuli, such as sights, sounds smells, tastes and/or movement. They may
experience seemingly ordinary stimuli as painful, unpleasant or
confusing. (Explore our donor-funded research on causes and treatments here.)
Some of those with autism are hypersensitive to sounds or touch, a
condition also known as sensory defensiveness. Others are
under-responsive, or hyposensitive. An example of hypersensitivity would
be the inability to tolerate wearing clothing, being touched or being
in a room with normal lighting. Hyposensitivity can include failure to
respond when one’s name is called. Many sensory processing problems can
be addressed with occupational therapy and/or sensory integration
therapy. (More information on these therapies, here.)
Pica
Pica is a tendency to eat things that are not food. Eating non-food
items is a normal part of development between the ages of 18 and
24 months. However, some children and adults with autism and other
developmental disabilities continue to eat items such as dirt, clay,
chalk or paint chips. For this reason, it is important to test for
elevated blood levels of lead in those who persistently mouth fingers or
objects that might be contaminated with this common environmental
toxin.
For more information and resources, please see our Video
Glossary and FAQs and special sections on Diagnosis, Learn the
Signs, Treatment, Your Child’s Rights, Asperger Syndrome and PDD-NOS. We
also offer a number of resource-packed tool kits for free download
(here and here). They include our 100 Day Kit for
families who have a child recently diagnosed with autism. These
resources are made possible through the generous support of our
families, volunteers and other donors.