Main symptoms
The severity of symptoms varies significantly from one person to another. However, all people with autism have some core symptoms in the following areas:
Social interactions and interpersonal relationships.
Symptoms may include:
- Significant problems in nonverbal communication skills such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expressions and body postures
- Inability to establish friendships with children the same age
- Lack of interest in sharing enjoyment, concerns, or achievements with other people
- Lack of empathy. People with autism may have difficulty understanding other people's feelings, such as pain or sadness.
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Symptoms may include:
- Speech delay or lack thereof. About 50% of people with autism will never speak.
- Problems in initiating a conversation. Also, people with autism have difficulty in maintaining the continuity of the conversation started.
- Continued stereotype language and repetitive use of words. People with autism repeat a sentence or a phrase that recently heard (echolalia).
- Difficulty in understanding the point of view of the person who has the conversation. For example, a person with autism may not understand that someone jokes.
- May interpret the communication word for word and have the ability to understand the message conveyed meaning.
Low interest in activities or games
Symptoms may include:
- Unusual attention on toys. Younger children with autism often focus on parts of toys, such as the wheels of a car and not playing with the entire toy.
- Concern for certain subjects. Older children and adults are often fascinated by the train schedule or weather reports.
- Need for uniformity / symmetry and routine. For example, a child with autism may always need to eat bread before salad and insist on going the same route every day to school.
- Stereotypical behavior. It consists of hand clapping or body rocking.
Symptoms of childhood
Symptoms of autism are usually noticed first by parents or other persons in the first 3 years of the child's life. Although autism is present at birth (congenital e), the signs of this disorder can be difficult to identify or diagnose during early childhood.
Parents often become concerned when their child does not want to be held, when it does not seem to be interested in some games and when not to speak.
Also, parents are confused about the child's ability to hear. Often, it seems that a child with autism does not hear, yet at other times he or she seems to hear distant background noise such as hiss of a train.
With a run early and intensive treatment, most children improve their ability to relate to others, to communicate and to self-care as they grow.
In contrast to popular beliefs about children with autism, very few are completely socially isolated, or "living in a world of their own."
Symptoms during adolescence
During adolescence, the behavior changes. Many teens gain skills but still remain a deficit in the ability to relate and understand others.
Teens have a slightly increased risk of developing depressive disorders, anxiety or epilepsy.
Symptoms in adulthood
Some adults with autism may be able to have a profession and an independent life. The degree to which an adult with autism can lead an autonomous life depends on the intelligence and ability to communicate. Approximately 33% are able to have at least a partial independence.
Some adults with autism have a great need to be helped, especially those with low intelligence who can not speak. Partial Supervision (part-time) or total (full-time) may be provided through therapeutic programs at home.
At the other end of the autistic spectrum disorder, high-functioning adults with autism are often successful in their profession and can live independently, although they typically continue to have some difficulty in relating with other people. These people usually have an average or above average intelligence.
Other symptoms
About 10% of people with autism have some form of savant skills, special talents, special, but limited, such as memorizing lists, calculating dates, the drawing or musical talent.
Many people with autism have unusual sensory perceptions. For example, they may describe a light touch as painful and deep pressing can charge as a soothing sensation. Others may not feel any pain. Some may have strong preferences or dislikes the contrary from some unnatural foods and concerns.
Other diseases
Autism is one of several types of pervasive developmental disorders, also called autism spectrum disorders. It is not unusual for autism to be confused with other pervasive developmental disorders such as Asperger syndrome or disorder or have symptoms of other disorders.
A similar condition is called pervasive developmental disorders - without further specification. It is diagnosed when children have similar behaviors but do not meet the criteria for autism. In addition, other conditions with similar symptoms may be associated with autism.
The severity of symptoms varies significantly from one person to another. However, all people with autism have some core symptoms in the following areas:
Social interactions and interpersonal relationships.
Symptoms may include:
- Significant problems in nonverbal communication skills such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expressions and body postures
- Inability to establish friendships with children the same age
- Lack of interest in sharing enjoyment, concerns, or achievements with other people
- Lack of empathy. People with autism may have difficulty understanding other people's feelings, such as pain or sadness.
Verbal and nonverbal communication
Symptoms may include:
- Speech delay or lack thereof. About 50% of people with autism will never speak.
- Problems in initiating a conversation. Also, people with autism have difficulty in maintaining the continuity of the conversation started.
- Continued stereotype language and repetitive use of words. People with autism repeat a sentence or a phrase that recently heard (echolalia).
- Difficulty in understanding the point of view of the person who has the conversation. For example, a person with autism may not understand that someone jokes.
- May interpret the communication word for word and have the ability to understand the message conveyed meaning.
Low interest in activities or games
Symptoms may include:
- Unusual attention on toys. Younger children with autism often focus on parts of toys, such as the wheels of a car and not playing with the entire toy.
- Concern for certain subjects. Older children and adults are often fascinated by the train schedule or weather reports.
- Need for uniformity / symmetry and routine. For example, a child with autism may always need to eat bread before salad and insist on going the same route every day to school.
- Stereotypical behavior. It consists of hand clapping or body rocking.
Symptoms of childhood
Symptoms of autism are usually noticed first by parents or other persons in the first 3 years of the child's life. Although autism is present at birth (congenital e), the signs of this disorder can be difficult to identify or diagnose during early childhood.
Parents often become concerned when their child does not want to be held, when it does not seem to be interested in some games and when not to speak.
Also, parents are confused about the child's ability to hear. Often, it seems that a child with autism does not hear, yet at other times he or she seems to hear distant background noise such as hiss of a train.
With a run early and intensive treatment, most children improve their ability to relate to others, to communicate and to self-care as they grow.
In contrast to popular beliefs about children with autism, very few are completely socially isolated, or "living in a world of their own."
Symptoms during adolescence
During adolescence, the behavior changes. Many teens gain skills but still remain a deficit in the ability to relate and understand others.
Teens have a slightly increased risk of developing depressive disorders, anxiety or epilepsy.
Symptoms in adulthood
Some adults with autism may be able to have a profession and an independent life. The degree to which an adult with autism can lead an autonomous life depends on the intelligence and ability to communicate. Approximately 33% are able to have at least a partial independence.
Some adults with autism have a great need to be helped, especially those with low intelligence who can not speak. Partial Supervision (part-time) or total (full-time) may be provided through therapeutic programs at home.
At the other end of the autistic spectrum disorder, high-functioning adults with autism are often successful in their profession and can live independently, although they typically continue to have some difficulty in relating with other people. These people usually have an average or above average intelligence.
Other symptoms
About 10% of people with autism have some form of savant skills, special talents, special, but limited, such as memorizing lists, calculating dates, the drawing or musical talent.
Many people with autism have unusual sensory perceptions. For example, they may describe a light touch as painful and deep pressing can charge as a soothing sensation. Others may not feel any pain. Some may have strong preferences or dislikes the contrary from some unnatural foods and concerns.
Other diseases
Autism is one of several types of pervasive developmental disorders, also called autism spectrum disorders. It is not unusual for autism to be confused with other pervasive developmental disorders such as Asperger syndrome or disorder or have symptoms of other disorders.
A similar condition is called pervasive developmental disorders - without further specification. It is diagnosed when children have similar behaviors but do not meet the criteria for autism. In addition, other conditions with similar symptoms may be associated with autism.