Does your child exhibit these classic symptoms they use for diagnosis?

[ROGUEM]

 Does your child exhibit these classic symptoms they use for diagnosis?

Since I have more that one I answered below :)

I thought this might help new members who are trying to decide if their children have autism or not.  Many times if a child doesn't exhibit a couple of these, they want to conclude that their child can't have autism.  I know I thought this in the early days too.  You want to cling to anything. I wish I could have seen that there are many autistic people that  do only a handful of the things on this list.  It would have made me accept it sooner.  By showing that your child doesn't have to have all of them to have autism, maybe a mom might realize the list is not all inclusive. 

I also think it is interesting to see the similiarites and differences between our children.  I know my 3 are so different.

Some autistic traits could include:

• Scatter/splinter skills of abilities –
  • such as poor gross motor or fine motor skills and the ability to read at a very young age
• Oversensitive or under sensitive to pain
• Desire for the same daily schedule, toys, type of clothes or an insistent on “sameness”
• Repeating words, phrases in place of typical language or conversation (This is known as echolalia)
• Much difficulty expressing needs – they may use pointing, gestures versus words, or tantrums
• Finding situations funny or laughing at times when it is inappropriate (i.e., laughing at a baby crying.)
• Activity is noticeably under active or over active
• Excessive or frequent tantrums
• Can be aggressive or self injurious
• Prefers to be alone – may have social skills deficits
• Autistics can act deaf or be non responsive to verbal cues
• Odd play such as; spinning objects, or using toys for something besides there their intended purpose or using an odd attraction to an item that is inappropriate for age
• Non existent or poor eye contact
• Non responsive to typical teaching methods
• May respond negatively to crowds or not able to mix well with others
• Difficulty with holding a conversation
• May not like hugs, or to be cuddled.
• Sensitivity to loud noises, tags in clothes, coarse clothing, lights, and smells
• Frequently uses peripheral vision to track items (e.g., rolling car along countertop at eye-level)
• Highly self-limited diet (narrow down foods they’ll eat to a very limited few items when previously a broader range was accepted (e.g., bread, chicken nuggets, cheese, milk, and crackers – period.)
• A high amount of severe food allergies
• History of chronic ear infections as an infant
• Severe gastro-intestinal issues; chronic loose and/or foul-smelling stools.
• Lack of imaginative play or imitation.

[letstalk747]

most yes , my son 11 also had a brain insult at birth so he also has some brain damage , with other issues

[mrssmitley1210]

Some autistic traits could include:

• Scatter/splinter skills of abilities –
  • such as poor gross motor or fine motor skills and the ability to read at a very young age not sure, my daughter can read and do math in her head at 4 but is really clumsy does that count?
• Oversensitive or under sensitive to pain yes she is oversensitive to pain. She cries when I brush her hair
• Desire for the same daily schedule, toys, type of clothes or an insistent on “sameness” no
• Repeating words, phrases in place of typical language or conversation (This is known as echolalia) again not sure. She will just repeat, mommmy mommy mommy mommy before you can even respond
• Much difficulty expressing needs – they may use pointing, gestures versus words, or tantrums no
• Finding situations funny or laughing at times when it is inappropriate (i.e., laughing at a baby crying.) She doesnt laugh but she has no remorse when she closes her brothers fingers in a door or anything. Were taking her to a behavior therapist for it
• Activity is noticeably under active or over active She can sit and do a worksheet but if its a center she bounces around
• Excessive or frequent tantrums multiple times a day screaming so loud it can be heard outside the front of the house
• Can be aggressive or self injurious Hits herself
• Prefers to be alone – may have social skills deficits no not at all, in fact she is to much in your face
• Autistics can act deaf or be non responsive to verbal cues yes, to the point of having a second hearing test done
• Odd play such as; spinning objects, or using toys for something besides there their intended purpose or using an odd attraction to an item that is inappropriate for age She likes to spin her fork when she has finished dinner.
• Non existent or poor eye contact no
• Non responsive to typical teaching methods unsure, she seems to be ok
• May respond negatively to crowds or not able to mix well with others She makes others uncomfortable, it took her 2 months to make friends at school because the others avoided her. I cried on the way home every day because she told me she had no friends
• Difficulty with holding a conversation no
• May not like hugs, or to be cuddled. She is overly touchy feely. Even as her mom she makes me uncomfortable
• Sensitivity to loud noises, tags in clothes, coarse clothing, lights, and smells no
• Frequently uses peripheral vision to track items (e.g., rolling car along countertop at eye-level) no
• Highly self-limited diet (narrow down foods they’ll eat to a very limited few items when previously a broader range was accepted (e.g., bread, chicken nuggets, cheese, milk, and crackers – period.) I had to force her to eat meat for a long time. She only wanted vegis
• A high amount of severe food allergies no none at all
• History of chronic ear infections as an infant no none at all
• Severe gastro-intestinal issues; chronic loose and/or foul-smelling stools. yes
• Lack of imaginative play or imitation. More than I have typically seen, she got in fights with herself almost like she had a split personality. Even distinctly different voices

[Kittie26]

Some autistic traits could include:

• Scatter/splinter skills of abilities –
  • such as poor gross motor or fine motor skills and the ability to read at a very young age No
• Oversensitive or under sensitive to pain Yes
• Desire for the same daily schedule, toys, type of clothes or an insistent on “sameness” No
• Repeating words, phrases in place of typical language or conversation (This is known as echolalia) Yes
• Much difficulty expressing needs – they may use pointing, gestures versus words, or tantrums Yes
• Finding situations funny or laughing at times when it is inappropriate (i.e., laughing at a baby crying.) No
• Activity is noticeably under active or over active No
• Excessive or frequent tantrums Yes
• Can be aggressive or self injurious No
• Prefers to be alone – may have social skills deficits Yes
• Autistics can act deaf or be non responsive to verbal cues Yes
• Odd play such as; spinning objects, or using toys for something besides there their intended purpose or using an odd attraction to an item that is inappropriate for age No
• Non existent or poor eye contact Yes
• Non responsive to typical teaching methods Yes
• May respond negatively to crowds or not able to mix well with others Yes
• Difficulty with holding a conversation Yes
• May not like hugs, or to be cuddled. No
• Sensitivity to loud noises, tags in clothes, coarse clothing, lights, and smells No
• Frequently uses peripheral vision to track items (e.g., rolling car along countertop at eye-level) No
• Highly self-limited diet (narrow down foods they’ll eat to a very limited few items when previously a broader range was accepted (e.g., bread, chicken nuggets, cheese, milk, and crackers – period.) Yes
• A high amount of severe food allergies No
• History of chronic ear infections as an infant No
• Severe gastro-intestinal issues; chronic loose and/or foul-smelling stools. No
• Lack of imaginative play or imitation. No

[elijahsmom8406]

Most of these traits describe my son

[LoveOfWisdom]

• Scatter/splinter skills of abilities – No, not really
  
  • such as poor gross motor or fine motor skills and the ability to read at a very young age
• Oversensitive or under sensitive to pain As a baby/toddler yes, one of my concerns early on. Not as much now
  
• Desire for the same daily schedule, toys, type of clothes or an insistent on “sameness” Yes and no.  I'd say he desires it as my as the next person
  
• Repeating words, phrases in place of typical language or conversation (This is known as echolalia) Yes, but getting better
  
• Much difficulty expressing needs – they may use pointing, gestures versus words, or tantrums  A lot lately
  
• Finding situations funny or laughing at times when it is inappropriate (i.e., laughing at a baby crying.) BIG issue lately
  
• Activity is noticeably under active or over active I'd say about normal
  
• Excessive or frequent tantrums Yes, if I don't stay one step ahead
  
• Can be aggressive or self injurious Not so much
  
• Prefers to be alone – may have social skills deficits As much as anyone else
  
• Autistics can act deaf or be non responsive to verbal cues Off and on
  
• Odd play such as; spinning objects, or using toys for something besides there their intended purpose or using an odd attraction to an item that is inappropriate for age Yes
  
• Non existent or poor eye contact Depends on the day
  
• Non responsive to typical teaching methods Not really sure
  
• May respond negatively to crowds or not able to mix well with others Sometimes.  Usually ok at first, and then gets overwhelmed.
  
• Difficulty with holding a conversation Delayed speech
  
• May not like hugs, or to be cuddled. Off and on
  
• Sensitivity to loud noises, tags in clothes, coarse clothing, lights, and smells yes, but random
  
• Frequently uses peripheral vision to track items (e.g., rolling car along countertop at eye-level) YES
  
• Highly self-limited diet (narrow down foods they’ll eat to a very limited few items when previously a broader range was accepted (e.g., bread, chicken nuggets, cheese, milk, and crackers – period.) Kind of
  
• A high amount of severe food allergies No
  
• History of chronic ear infections as an infant No
  
• Severe gastro-intestinal issues; chronic loose and/or foul-smelling stools. Egh
  
• Lack of imaginative play or imitation. Kind of.
  

[LIMom1105]

This is a great list!  I think if I had seen this sooner, more red flags would have been raised for me. Instead, I was looking at very basic lists that listed items such as poor eye contact, disliking hugs, poor speech skills, etc. So I dismissed autism fairly early and started looking at other possibilities, esp. since my son loves giving and getting hugs. The only thing on shorter lists that applied was speech delays.

Thanks for sharing!

[BeccaGK]

Scatter/splinter skills of abilities –

• such as poor gross motor or fine motor skills and the ability to read at a very young age- Gavin has a really hard time with both gross and fine motor skills but taught himself to read when he was 3 and can do math and electronics way above his age

Oversensitive or under sensitive to pain-undersensitive

Desire for the same daily schedule, toys, type of clothes or an insistent on “sameness”-same schedule

Repeating words, phrases in place of typical language or conversation (This is known as echolalia)-asks or says the same thing over and over even after we have responded to him

Much difficulty expressing needs – they may use pointing, gestures versus words, or tantrumsNO

Finding situations funny or laughing at times when it is inappropriate (i.e., laughing at a baby crying.)yes

Activity is noticeably under active or over active-overactive

Excessive or frequent tantrums-yes

Can be aggressive or self injuriousyes

Prefers to be alone – may have social skills deficits-wants to be around ppl but is hard for him to interact with them

Autistics can act deaf or be non responsive to verbal cues-yes

Odd play such as; spinning objects, or using toys for something besides there their intended purpose or using an odd attraction to an item that is inappropriate for age-not really

Non existent or poor eye contact-yes, he also has nystagmus

Non responsive to typical teaching methods-needs help

May respond negatively to crowds or not able to mix well with others-yes

Difficulty with holding a conversation-yes

May not like hugs, or to be cuddled.-hugs are ok but no kisses

Sensitivity to loud noises, tags in clothes, coarse clothing, lights, and smells-yes, especially noise

Frequently uses peripheral vision to track items (e.g., rolling car along countertop at eye-level)-yes

Highly self-limited diet (narrow down foods they’ll eat to a very limited few items when previously a broader range was accepted (e.g., bread, chicken nuggets, cheese, milk, and crackers – period.)-limited but not that limited

A high amount of severe food allergies-no

History of chronic ear infections as an infant-no

Severe gastro-intestinal issues; chronic loose and/or foul-smelling stools.-no

Lack of imaginative play or imitation.-yes

[katylg]

 

• Scatter/splinter skills of abilities – no 
  • such as poor gross motor or fine motor skills and the ability to read at a very young age
• Oversensitive or under sensitive to pain- yes
• Desire for the same daily schedule, toys, type of clothes or an insistent on “sameness” - yes
• Repeating words, phrases in place of typical language or conversation (This is known as echolalia) -yes
• Much difficulty expressing needs – they may use pointing, gestures versus words, or tantrums -yes
• Finding situations funny or laughing at times when it is inappropriate (i.e., laughing at a baby crying.) -no
• Activity is noticeably under active or over active -yes yes yes
• Excessive or frequent tantrums -yes
• Can be aggressive or self injurious -yes
• Prefers to be alone – may have social skills deficits -yes
• Autistics can act deaf or be non responsive to verbal cues -yes but has hearing loss
• Odd play such as; spinning objects, or using toys for something besides there their intended purpose or using an odd attraction to an item that is inappropriate for age -no
• Non existent or poor eye contact -no
• Non responsive to typical teaching methods-yes
• May respond negatively to crowds or not able to mix well with others -yes
• Difficulty with holding a conversation -yes
• May not like hugs, or to be cuddled. -no but yes when younger
• Sensitivity to loud noises, tags in clothes, coarse clothing, lights, and smells -no
• Frequently uses peripheral vision to track items (e.g., rolling car along countertop at eye-level) -yes
• Highly self-limited diet (narrow down foods they’ll eat to a very limited few items when previously a broader range was accepted (e.g., bread, chicken nuggets, cheese, milk, and crackers – period.) - yes
• A high amount of severe food allergies- no
• History of chronic ear infections as an infant -yes
• Severe gastro-intestinal issues; chronic loose and/or foul-smelling stools. -no
• Lack of imaginative play or imitation. -no

Michael is 3 and has almost a scary memory.  He can see something once and remember it for months.He also mimics people at inappropriate times. I took him to see the butterfly exhibit at the museum and there was a little girl that was crying because she was scared. Michael immediately started acting like he was crying. People don't understand that he isn't making fun of them. We've had quite a few upset looks from parents.

[flash2802]

My daughter is only 18 months old. At her last check-up the doctor was concerned that she was showing some signs of being autistic because she doesn't pretend play. I haven't got her tested yet but can someone please give me their opinion. I keep hearing that 18 months is to young to tell.

Scatter/splinter skills of abilities –

• such as poor gross motor or fine motor skills and the ability to read at a very young age HAVEN'T STARTED READING YET BUT SHE HAS GREAT MOTOR SKILLS.

Oversensitive or under sensitive to pain NO

Desire for the same daily schedule, toys, type of clothes or an insistent on “sameness”NO

Repeating words, phrases in place of typical language or conversation (This is known as echolalia) STILL LEARNING TO TALK. SHE TRY'S BUT CAN'T FORM ANYTHING YET BESIDES MAMA, DADA AND CAT

Much difficulty expressing needs – they may use pointing, gestures versus words, or tantrums YES

Finding situations funny or laughing at times when it is inappropriate (i.e., laughing at a baby crying.)NO

Activity is noticeably under active or over active NO

Excessive or frequent tantrums NO

Can be aggressive or self injurious YES

Prefers to be alone – may have social skills deficits SOMETIMES

Autistics can act deaf or be non responsive to verbal cues NO

Odd play such as; spinning objects, or using toys for something besides there their intended purpose or using an odd attraction to an item that is inappropriate for age YES

Non existent or poor eye contact NO

Non responsive to typical teaching methods NO

May respond negatively to crowds or not able to mix well with others NO

Difficulty with holding a conversation YES BUT SHE'S STILL LEARNING TO TALK

May not like hugs, or to be cuddled.NO

Sensitivity to loud noises, tags in clothes, coarse clothing, lights, and smells NO

Frequently uses peripheral vision to track items (e.g., rolling car along countertop at eye-level) NO

Highly self-limited diet (narrow down foods they’ll eat to a very limited few items when previously a broader range was accepted (e.g., bread, chicken nuggets, cheese, milk, and crackers – period.) YES, ONLY WANTS TO EAT CRUNCHY FOODS

A high amount of severe food allergies NO

History of chronic ear infections as an infant SHE'S HAD 4 SINCE BIRTH AND NOW SHE'S 18 MONTHS. i DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS CHRONIC OR NOT?

Severe gastro-intestinal issues; chronic loose and/or foul-smelling stools. NO

Lack of imaginative play or imitation.YES

[momof_2k]

I have alot of difficulty with my son, his behavior, attention span, he has certain complusive things he does.  I am a single mom of 2 kids, daughter 8 and my son is 4. My daughter and I have a rough time every day around my son.  He hits, kicks, pinches sometimes for no reason. point and yells at us.  One day i washed his bedding and he was so upset, started crying and went into his room closed the door and stayed there for a few minutes.  He gets like that with his toys if his sister touches them.  Right now he is in preschool and a special team at the school just had a meeting pertaining to my son.  His testing at the beginning of the year was at a 2 1/2 yr olds. education level.  I have a counselor that comes to the house once a week to observe my son.  I am just lost, some of my family feels he is just a normal boy and a few say there is definetly something going on with him.  His father has had nothing to do with him in over a year. I need support from other moms please