Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders among children today.
Every child with ASD is unique but there are some common features (red flags) that may help us to identify at risk children:
• Often do not respond to their name despite normal hearing
• Prefers to play by themselves and often in their own world
• More focused on objects than people
• Limited eye contact
• Lack of pointing
• Using an adults hand to get what the child wants
• Poor use of gestures
• Does not have a preferred friend at school
• Lining up toys
• Echolalia (Repetition of words or phrases)
• Hand flapping, body rocking, spinning or pacing
• Repetitive spinning of car wheels or flicking of light switches
• Extreme distress at small changes in routine
• Excessively picky eater
• Covers ears to unexpected sounds
• Sensory seeking behaviour (rolling on floor, climbing, bending out of chairs)
• Persistent toe walking
• Speech delay with normal hearing (not saying single words at one year, two word phrases by two years and three word sentences by three years)
The core symptoms are usually present by the age of three years but there are often non-specific signs in infancy. These include difficulty with sleep or eating, extremes of temperament and lack of response to parental voice. Up to fifty percent of children with ASD will have apparently normal development until 15 to 30 months when loss of communication skills occurs.
Diagnosis is most commonly made using the DSM 5 criteria or the Autism Direct Observation Schedule (ADOS) by a trained healthcare professional who has experience with children with ASD.
By Dr Yavini Reddy, Paediatric Neurologist, Ethekwini Hospital and Heart Center, 031 – 581 2328, paediatricneurologist@gmail.com.