By: Alexander Lopiccolo, COTA/L and Elizabeth Tenace MS, OTR/L
For Autism Awareness I would like more parents to be aware of the signs/symptoms of what a child on the Autism Spectrum may exhibit. Then the parents could ask their Pediatrician to do a screening and if positive signs get testing done to get their child a diagnosis. The sooner the diagnosis the faster therapy services from insurance companies may get covered. Early intervention is key with helping children on the spectrum improve their daily functional goals to interact with people and their environment.
Possible “Red Flags”
A person with ASD might:
- Not respond to their name by 12 months of age
- Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months
- Not play “pretend” games (pretend to “feed” a doll) by 18 months
- Avoid eye contact and want to be alone
- Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings
- Have delayed speech and language skills
- Repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia)
- Give unrelated answers to questions
- Get upset by minor changes
- Have obsessive interests
- Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles
- Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel
Another word for Autism in my head is Unique. Many people on the Autism Spectrum display similar characteristics such as the ability to socially connect with others. They may also have stimming repetitive behaviors that disrupt their functional life. They do this when their overstimulated, anxious or to change their alert level. They may lock out joints, grind their teeth, flap their hands, and play with their ears. But don’t typical people stim to change their alert level by shaking their leg, twirling their hand, stroking their beard, chewing gum. Many people do to help with concentration /focus and cope with their anxiety. I help people on the spectrum replace their atypical social stim to a more socially appropriate way.
All in all we all have a little Autism in all of us. Some are more severe, some are less. We therapists are here to help you and your family.
This article was originally written by BP&HT therapists and published for: www.got-autism.com/blog/
Reference:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html
