Because each person is affected in different ways, it is impossible to provide a comprehensive list of symptoms that will apply in all cases. What follows
is a general picture of the main ways that children and young people can be affected by autism.
Signs that may be apparent at 12-18 months:
- lack of social smile;
- lack of appropriate facial expression;
- lack of eye contact;
- poor attention;
- impaired social interaction;
- ignoring people;
- preference for aloneness;
- lack of appropriate gestures;
- lack of emotional expression;
- less looking at others;
- less pointing;
- less showing objects.
Signs that may be apparent between 2 and 3 years:
- impairment in language development, especially comprehension;
- unusual use of language;
- poor response to name;
- deficient non-verbal communication, for example lack of pointing, difficulty following a point and failure to smile socially to share enjoyment
and respond to the smiling of others;
- no spontaneous two word (non echoed) phrases by 24 months;
- imitation in, or lack of imitation of, actions (for example, clapping);
- lack of showing with toys or other objects;
- lack of interest in other children or odd approaches to other children;
- minimal recognition or responsiveness to other people's happiness or distress;
- limited variety of imaginative play or pretence, especially social imagination (ie, not joining with others in shared imaginary games);
- failure to initiate simple play with others or participate in early social games;
- preference for solitary play activities;
- "odd" relationships with adults (either too friendly or ignores);
- over-sensitivity to sound or touch;
- biting, hitting or aggression to peers;
- oppositional to adults;
- over-liking for sameness or inability to cope with change especailly in an unstructured setting;
- repetitive play with toys (for example, lining up objects);
- turning light switches on and off, regardless of scolding;
Signs that may be apparent in school age children:
- abnormalities in language development , including muteness and odd or inappropriate formation of words/sentences;
- persistent echolalia (responding by repeating what's been said);
- reference to self as "you", "she" or "he" beyond 3 years old;
- unusual vocabulary for child's age or social group;
- limited use of language for communication or a tendency to talk freely only about specific topics;
- inability to join in with the play of other children or inappropriate attempts at joint play (may manifest as aggressive or disruptive behaviour);
- lack of awareness of classroom "norms" (crticising teachers, overt unwillingness to participate in classroom activities, inability to appreciate or
follow current trends for example, with regard to other children's dress, style of speech, or interests);
- easily overwhelmed by social and other stimulation;
- failure to relate normally to adults, (too intense or no relationship);
- showing extreme reactions to invasion of personal space and extreme resistance to being "hurried";
