Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Autism Symptoms Checklist

There has been a great deal in the news lately about the increase in autism. You might wonder how you would know if your child was autistic. There are some symptoms that you can watch for in your child. If you see any of the symptoms of autism in your child you should ask your doctor to evaluate your child. The sooner the child is diagnosed the sooner they can receive treatment.

1. A child with autism will not reach the typical milestones that other children reach until a much later age. If you are noticing that your child is not reaching the milestones until much later than they should, you should speak with your doctor.

2. A child with autism might not speak. Children will begin to speak at different ages and every child is different. If you notice that your child is not even making the typical babbling noises that babies make by the age of one year old, you should discuss the problem with the doctor.

3. A child with autism will not make eye contact. If you notice that your child will not look at you when you are speaking it might be a cause for concern. Children will often look directly at the person who is speaking to them, autistic children do not. They will also not look at something that you are pointing to. Instead the autistic child will look beyond the thing that you are pointing at.

4. Autistic children do not show emotion like other children. They do not smile when someone smiles at them and they do not seem to show any emotion regarding someone else feeling pain or sadness. They will also not want to be held and cuddled.

5. Most autistic children prefer to play alone. They find it difficult to relate to other children and do not understand when someone is joking or playing with them. They will take everything that someone says to them completely literally.

6. An autistic child can often lose newly acquired skills. They will learn something new one day and then a week later be unable to perform the new skill as though they have forgotten how.

These are some of the symptoms of autism that you should look for in your child. If you see any of these signs you should discuss it with your doctor. Your child might not exhibit all of the signs of autism. It is important that you talk to your doctor if you see any of the signs. The sooner a child receives treatment the better off they will be.

By: nattwatt

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

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