Deficits in social interactions: This can include discomfort with eye contact, lack of reciprocal conversation, and difficulty with non-verbal communication such as understanding body language and social cues. They may also have a harder time making friends due to these challenges.
Anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. Communication challenges. Difficulties with emotional regulation. Executive functioning problems.
Children with ASD may have difficulty developing language skills and understanding what others say to them. They also often have difficulty communicating nonverbally, such as through hand gestures, eye contact, and facial expressions.
Social anxiety – or extreme fear of new people, crowds and social situations – is especially common among people with autism. In addition, many people with autism have difficulty controlling anxiety once something triggers it.
Sensory overload, changes in routine, social isolation, co-occurring conditions, and lack of support can all exacerbate the symptoms of autism. However, with early intervention, therapy, and support, individuals with autism can manage these challenges and improve their quality of life.
Any kind of unplanned or unannounced social event can trigger your child with autism to display problem behaviors. Sensory overload: One common trigger for children with autism is an overwhelming amount of sensory information. Sensory overload can occur at any time and in any space.
The Triad of Impairments:
People with significant difficulties in all 3 areas (social interaction, communication and imagination) may have ASD. However, there can be other reasons for difficulties in these areas.
Science fiction and fantasy are often of great interest to autistic people. Depending on their interest levels and abilities, people on the spectrum may learn every detail of a particular "universe," write their own stories, watch and rewatch movies, read comics, attend conventions, or even make their own costumes.
Aggression, destructiveness, and self-injury are common among children with ASD, with the Autism Research Institute's E-2 database of more than 2,300 cases indicating that 59% of those with ASD engage in one or more of these behaviors.
When Does Autism Get Easier? A new study found that around 30% of young autistic children have less severe symptoms at age 6 than they did at age 3. Interestingly, some children lose their autism diagnoses entirely.
Parenting, in general, is far from easy, but parenting a child with autism can be particularly demanding. In my last blog, I shared our journey about what extreme parenting sometimes feels like, and if you're also a parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), I want you to know you're not alone.
Studies have shown that more than 50% of mothers report a decreased ability to enjoy life as they face the challenges associated with raising a child with ASD. In fact, a low level of social support has been identified as the most powerful predictor of depression and anxiety in the mothers (Boyd, 2002).
Emotional development: autistic children and teenagers
For example, your autistic child might feel all negative or unpleasant emotions as anger. Or they might not recognise when they're excited. Or they might label all emotions that are hard to describe as 'being bored'.
Having an extraordinarily good memory (being able to remember facts for a long period of time). Being precise and detail orientated. Exceptional honesty and reliability. Being dependable in regards to schedules and routines.
Reward good behavior.
Positive reinforcement can go a long way with children with ASD, so make an effort to “catch them doing something good.” Praise them when they act appropriately or learn a new skill, being very specific about what behavior they're being praised for.
ASD affects different people in different ways. Some people can't speak or learn. Their behavior may seem strange; they may avoid other people; they may pace and move their bodies in unusual ways, like flapping their hands. They may repeat lines from TV shows or movies.
It's common for autistic children to behave in challenging ways or ways that are difficult to manage. For example, autistic children and teenagers might: refuse or ignore requests. behave in socially inappropriate ways, like taking their clothes off in public.
Does The Father Or Mother Carry The Autism Gene? Autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component, however, research suggests that the rarer variants associated with the disorder are usually inherited from the father.
7 foods to potentially avoid with autism
Sugar: Since children with autism may show signs of hyperactivity, it may be best to avoid sugar to maintain balanced sugar levels. Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Similar to sugar, MSG can cause overstimulation in the brain, leading to hyperactivity.
Dairy (casein)
Children with autism (ASD) are much more likely to have a food intolerance to dairy than their peers. This mild allergy could explain why many parents have reported positive changes to their child's autism symptoms -including improved behavior - after eliminating dairy. Your child actually feels better.
In fact, parents of autistic children report that they experience more depression, anxiety, and stress-related health problems than other parents. Parental stress has also been associated with marital distress, less effective parenting, and dropping out of treatment.
Children with autism are able to form secure attachment relationships, but the parent–child relationship reflects less flexible, sensitive, and synchronous interactive behaviors as a result of the social impairment of children with autism.