Is My Child Autistic? At-Home Help for Diagnosis

Autism is a developmental disorder that can cause children to have difficulty with social interactions and communication. Slow, difficult-to-understand speech, an obsessive need for routine, and unusual behaviors are all signs of autism. It’s important to know if your child has autism so you can take the proper steps in treatment or get them help early on before they’re fully impaired by their condition.

The “my son has autism what benefits am i entitled to” is a question that parents often ask themselves. The “At-Home Help for Diagnosis” can help answer this question. It provides information on how to diagnose autism, as well as the resources available in your area.

Autism cannot be diagnosed at home. The formal diagnosis must be made by a professional.

You, on the other hand, spend the most time with your kid and may observe strange behaviors that might indicate autism. It’s possible that your kid won’t make eye contact or react when you call their name. Maybe your youngster doesn’t participate in creative play or social interaction with other kids. Your youngster may get fixated on specific hobbies or engage in repeated actions.

It’s time to see a doctor if you see specific indicators of autism in your kid. You won’t be able to make an at-home diagnosis, but you can provide a doctor useful information to help with the diagnosis.

Understanding the Signs of Autism in Children

Autism, often known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disease. On the autism spectrum, people communicate differently, read social signals differently, and have certain behavioral issues.

More individuals are now aware that they are on the autism spectrum as a result of breakthroughs in behavioral psychology and medical diagnosis, allowing them to get the care they need. The majority of these people are grownups.

Fortunately, as medicine progresses, more children are being diagnosed with autism at an earlier age, allowing them to work with physicians, therapists, and other specialists to seek assistance as soon as possible. These children have the greatest chance of living healthy, balanced lives if they get early intervention.

ASD may be diagnosed in children as early as 18 months old, although clearer indicators develop around the age of two. Typically, children do not get a definite diagnosis until they are considerably older, around the time they enter primary school.

It’s critical to consult with a clinician since a pediatrician or psychologist will diagnose your kid using medical criteria. They’ll make an official diagnosis based on a lot of the information you gather at home.

Common Autism Symptoms in Children

Autism affects how people learn, interact, communicate, and behave in different ways than neurotypical people. The autism spectrum emphasizes how subtle some of these distinctions might be. They may be significant for others with ASD. Understanding these distinctions may assist you in providing better care for your kid.

Autism normally appears around the age of three, however the precise age varies from person to person. It will last the rest of the person’s life since it is a developmental disorder.

Children with autism generally develop normally during the first 18 to 24 months of their lives. Then they either cease learning new abilities or start losing talents they learned as newborns. According to several research, around the child’s first birthday, a third of parents with autistic children notice behavioral and mental changes. By the age of 24 months, 80 to 90 percent of babies have issues.

The following are signs that your kid may be on the autistic spectrum:

• By 12 months, they had not responded to their name (1 year old).

• By 14 months, he was not pointing towards items of interest, such as an aircraft in the sky.

• By the age of 18 months, you should not be playing imaginary or “pretend” activities, such as building up settings with dolls.

• I’d want to be alone.

• Eye contact is avoided.

• It’s difficult to comprehend other people’s emotions.

• They have difficulty articulating or verbalizing their sentiments.

• Speech has been delayed.

• Repeating words or phrases is known as Echolalia.

• Answers to questions that are unrelated.

• Minor changes in habits or surroundings might agitate you.

• Obsessive passions.

• Spinning in circles, swaying their body, or flapping their hands are examples of repetitive motions called stimming.

• Reactions to the way things smell, taste, sound, look, or feel that are unusual.

These might be subtle or quite noticeable. Your kid may show signs of one or more of them, or they may show signs of all of them. You may work with your physician to receive a diagnosis if you see any of these changes.

Your doctor will also be able to advise you on the overall development of your kid. They’ll use more detailed checklists to figure out how severe your child’s autism is.

Specific types of autism symptoms may appear more often than others.

Symptoms of autism are often divided into groups.

Social Indicators

As your kid grows older, he or she will have social issues. These are the most prevalent symptoms of autism, and they may have significant consequences in everyday life.

Your youngster could be able to:

• By the age of twelve months, they had not responded to their name.

• To achieve a specific goal, only engage with other children.

• Avoid making eye contact or socializing with others, even your parents.

• Play by yourself.

• Not participating in activities with other children.

• Use facial expressions that are inappropriate for the circumstance.

• Social boundaries and personal space are not understood.

• Physical contact should be avoided or avoided.

• When you’re sad, you’re unable to be consoled by others.

• They have a hard time comprehending or articulating their sentiments to others.

Signs of Communication

Another typical characteristic of ASD is difficulty communicating.

Around 40% of autistic youngsters do not talk at all. Between 12 and 18 months, 25 to 30 percent of youngsters have some words, but subsequently lose them. Others may talk, but it is not until later in infancy that they do so. Some youngsters talk well and have few, if any, overt communication issues.

The following are some examples of communication problems that your kid may have:

• Echolalia.

• Speech and language abilities are delayed.

• Answering queries with unconnected responses.

• Using “you” instead of “I” when pronouns are reversed.

• Not pointing at things that are fascinating and not reacting to pointing.

• When it comes to gestures, such as waving farewell, little to none are used.

• Using a voice that is flat, robotic, or sing-song.

• During play, there will be no faking.

• Jokes, taunting, playfulness, and sarcasm are not understood.

Autism may cause youngsters to utilize just one word at a time. They may not be able to form whole sentences with their words.

They may repeat what you’ve said after you’ve finished speaking. “Do you want some juice?” you may inquire. “Do you want some juice?” they would inquire.

Obsessive Symptoms

Children who have autism often show unusual interests and behaviors, particularly Obsessive passions.

The following are some examples of obsessive symptoms:

• Toys or things are arranged in a line.

• Every time you play with toys, you do it the same way.

• Specific components of toys, such as the wheels, are appealing.

• Being very well-organized, even while playing.

• Minor changes or disturbances agitate you.

• Having Obsessive passions.

• Following a set of procedures.

• Stimming, like a toy car’s wheels spinning again and over.

Signs in the Unknown

There are a number of potential indicators that your kid may be autistic. These symptoms aren’t classified, but your doctor may inquire whether you’ve observed any of them.

Autism symptoms that aren’t grouped together include:

• Hyperactivity is characterized by a high level of physical activity.

• Impulsivity is defined as the ability to behave without thinking about it.

• An inability to pay attention.

• Aggressiveness.

• Self-destructive habits.

• Temper outbursts are caused by extreme emotions.

• Unusual sleeping or eating patterns.

• Unusual emotional responses or moods.

• Either a tremendous lot of unexpected dread or a lack of fear when caution is required.

• Unusual responses to sensory stimuli, such as how something smells, tastes, looks, sounds, or feels.

Children with ASD may have abnormal reactions to loud stimuli or underreact to discomfort. They may chew or consume non-food objects such as dirt or pebbles (PICA), or they may have digestive problems that are not experienced by other youngsters. They could experience strange mood swings, such as laughing or sobbing at inopportune moments. They may be unconcerned about potentially dangerous occurrences or items.

In certain areas, children develop quickly.

Autistic children may demonstrate developmental skills in areas that their classmates do not, in addition to the signs and symptoms indicated above, which appear between the ages of 12 months and three years.

While they may not be able to communicate or interact in the same manner as a neurotypical toddler, they may excel at puzzle-solving or be able to walk or move about more quickly than neurotypical toddlers of the same age. They may be able to read effectively at an early age, but they may not be able to pronounce the sounds on the page.

It’s easy for parents to be proud of their child’s successes but yet anxious about strange habits they don’t understand. Your doctor and a specialist will help you with this. You may discuss any concerns you have with your doctor, and they can send you to a specialist if necessary.

You may also use certain tools at home to assist you comprehend some unique habits or talents. Every kid is unique and develops at their own pace. Whether or not your kid has ASD, they may exhibit certain unusual behaviors in both happy and negative situations.

Home-based checklists might help you prepare for a visit with your pediatrician.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a list of developmental milestones organized by age on their website. These begin at the age of two months and continue until the child is five years old.

The following are some significant anniversaries:

• At two months old, he is smiling, cooing, or gurgling, and paying attention to faces.

• By the age of six months, a child knows the difference between familiar and unfamiliar faces, can make simple sounds like “bah,” and can pique the interest of others by handing them toys.

• By the age of one year old, he or she can repeat noises or movements to seek attention, use gestures like waving, and follow basic orders like “pick up the toy.”

• By the age of two, children are displaying rebellious behavior, speaking in phrases of two to four words, and running and kicking balls.

You can also utilize an online evaluation tool, but you won’t be able to diagnose your kid at home. The diagnosis must be made by a medical practitioner.

Although an online questionnaire is not conclusive, it does provide common assessment issues that your physician could address. You might utilize it to get ready for a meeting to talk about your issues. It may provide you with at-home assistance that lays the groundwork for a doctor’s formal diagnosis.

There are a plethora of online autism diagnostic options available. Your doctor will ask comparable questions to get a better understanding of your child’s behavior. While these online tools may help you start the dialogue, if you are worried about your kid, you should get developmental assessment from a medical expert.

Screening for Autism

All children should get developmental and behavioral screenings at scheduled appointments with their doctor, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). These visits occur at the following locations:

• 9 months.

• The M-CHAT was used to conduct a specialized autism screening at the age of 18 months.

• The M-CHAT-R/F was used to conduct a specialized autism screening over a period of 24 months.

• Thirty months.

If there is a family history of autism, further testing are needed. The frequency of these tests will be determined by the pediatrician.

Your physician may send you and your kid for a thorough developmental examination if these screens reveal any indicators of autism spectrum disorder. This is a medical screening technique that involves a behavioral specialist evaluating your child’s symptoms. They will assess the severity of your problem and assist you in developing a treatment plan.

Your kid may learn to function properly and fulfill their potential with the help of suitable treatment, such as ABA therapy. Because early intervention is crucial for effective autism therapy, it’s critical to keep track of all developmental and behavioral assessments.

As always, if you observe anything unusual about your kid, contact your physician right away. If your kid is autistic, a medical expert will diagnose him or her, but the information you supply is crucial in this process.

References

The “what is the most effective treatment for autism” is a question that parents ask when they suspect their child has autism. The article provides an overview of how to get an accurate diagnosis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Tags

• how to get autistic child to listen
• what not to do with an autistic child
• how to cure autism at home
• autistic child behavior problems
• how to help a child with autism calm down