Characteristics of ASD

Hi everyone, would like to say I am feeling better but I’m not, ok I am slightly better enough to do this post this morning, yesterday if the post hadn’t already been written I wouldn’t have posted anything I felt that awful.

Well, it’s Thursday and time for me to tell you a little bit more about autism spectrum disorder or ASD like there are many characteristics of ASD and they fall into two broad areas.

Those being difficulty with social interactions and communication and restricted and repetitive behaviours and interests.

Both I have seen in my grandchild (Sam) since a very young age. Below is a list of the common signs and traits of ASD in children some of which apply to Sam many do not.

Sam has several friends who he not only hangs out with at school but during the school holidays as well.

The common signs and traits of ASD in children include the following:

lack of social or emotional exchanges like pointing, smiling, showing you things

lack of non-verbal communication such as nodding and shaking head, using hand gestures

difficulty developing and maintaining relationships appropriate to their age, such as peer play, lack of close friends

delayed expressed speech and understanding of speech

lack of eye contact when speaking

loss of language skills at any age

excessively following routines, patterns or behaviour, and becoming distressed at changes

stereotyped or repetitive speech

using objects in unusual ways, such as rolling wheels before eyes

movements, such as flapping hands, toe walking

strongly reacting to sensory input such as sound, pain or textures

restricted or fixated interests. This might be only playing with certain toys or talking about certain topics

having difficulty managing emotions, such as frequent and long tantrums

Adults with ASD may struggle with time management, they often feel isolated and have difficulty paying attention are anxious in social settings feel overwhelmed easily. They may also have trouble with relationships and may pay to much attention to details overlooking the bigger picture.

Well that will do it for this post more to come next week.