Autism Symptoms

Autism symptoms can appear as early as infancy. However, most doctors will wait until a child is 2 to 3 years old before suggesting testing for Autism.



Early intervention for Autism has always been promoted by professionals as the best form of treatment. Then why do physicians wait before diagnosing Autism in children? The reasons vary from not wishing to scare parents with a wrong diagnosis to simply being unfamiliar with the signs of Autism.

The faster children with ASD can receive therapy, the better. A great deal of parents of Autistic children felt there was something different with their child’s development at an early stage. You may, as a parent, have to seek more then one physician’s opinion.

Here is a list of Autism symptoms that you should look for:
- Lack of interest in toys
- Spinning objects
- Placing objects in lines
- Content with being alone
- Flapping hands
- Excitement in unusual situations or with different objects
- Lack of affection
- Appear not to be aware of surroundings
- Does not respond to their name
- Unusual sleeping patterns
- Show distress for unexplained reasons
- If verbal, repetitive language (echolalia)
- Resisting change in routine (driving a different way home)
- Displaying outbursts
- Sensitive to textures (clothing, food, etc.)
- Show prolonged interest in one object

It is important to note that not all signs of Autism appear in all Autistic children. The degrees in which they appear may vary as well. As an example, some Autistic children will only eat bland foods while our son prefers foods with some flavor to them. He likes pepperoni on his pizza. As well, he will eat a sub sandwich that contains pepperoni, green peppers, onions and other smoked meats.

The one common thing is that most Autistic children will like only certain foods. A very limited range will occur as a result of it. This can be confused with a picky eater.

Our son has an obsession with take out food. In order to vary his food interest, we will sometimes cook a meal and wrap it in take out containers and present it to him this way. Tricky, yes but hey, it works. Diane Drake Burns has written a book entitled: "Autism-ADD-ADHD-Aspergers?" which takes a look at the early stages before a diagnosis and what you can do to help your child.

You can find the book at Future Horizons, the world leader in Autism/Asperger’s Publications. You just have to type in her name or the title of the book at their site. Just click on Autism Symptoms to get to their site.