What are some of the symptoms of Autism?
Autism is made up of many different symptoms. Some people are affected very severly, while others are much milder. Children and adults who have autism may show a combination of symptoms:
- repeat words, or not talk very much or not at all.
- not be able to understand emotions (an angry voice or smile).
- resist physical contact, or be very friendly, even with strangers.
- want to lick or smell everything.
- not want to look at you directly, yet look into space for a long time.
- seem to act like they are deaf even though nothing is wrong with their hearing.
- not know how to play with toys like other children their age.
- not play pretend or imitation games (peek-a-boo, sooo big, pattycake).
- hit themselves, bang their heads, bite themselves because they don't feel the pain like we do.
- be described as off in their own world. You may feel like it is impossible to reach your child with autism.
- act as if you didn't exist.
- laugh and giggle for no apparant reason (or none that you can figure out).
- spin objects or spin themselves a lot.
- have temper tantrums for reasons that are not clear to you.
- want to do things in the same order and same way every day. Changes in routines may result in tantrums.
- not like the feel of their clothes and want to take them off all the time or not change them when needed.
- only like certain textures of food or not like to eat very much at all.
- not recognize himself or herself in a picture.
