By Mrs Sumithra M, Psychologist

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. ASD can be diagnosed at any age, but symptoms usually appear in the first two years of life.

Researchers reported that the primary cause of ASD is unknown, but studies suggest that a person’s genes can act together with aspects of their environment to affect development in ways that lead to ASD. Other factors include family history, older parents, low birth weight, etc.

Early Signs & Symptoms in ASD

Difficulties in Social Communication

Not speaking at all, rarely responding when spoken to, rarely using or understanding gestures like pointing or waving, using only limited facial expressions to communicate, not showing an interest in friends or having difficulties making friends, and rarely engaging in imaginative play.

Restricted or Repetitive and Sensory Behaviour or Interests

Lining up toys in a particular way over and over again, frequently flicking switches or spinning objects, speaking in a repetitive way, needing things to always happen in the same way, having trouble with changes to their schedule or changing from one activity to another, and showing signs of sensory sensitivities like becoming distressed by everyday sounds like hand dryers, not liking the feel of clothes labels, or licking or sniffing objects.

Can Signs of Autism Sometimes Become Noticeable in School-Age Children?

Yes. This is because a new primary or secondary school environment might be overwhelming for autistic children and teenagers. The transition can be difficult for children to manage on their own. And if children have been hiding their autism signs until now, it might be hard for them to keep doing this in a new and overwhelming environment.

Signs Include:

  • Prefer to spend time on their own, rather than with their peers
  • Want other children to play by their rules and get upset if their rules aren’t followed
  • Have trouble relating to most children their own age and prefer to play with younger children or adults
  • Have difficulty adjusting their behaviour in different social situations
  • Be sensitive to the sensory environment — for example, they might be more easily upset by loud noises than other people, not like tags on clothes, or eat only foods with a certain texture or colour
  • Seek sensory stimulation — for example, they might like deep pressure, seek vibrating objects like washing machines, or flutter fingers to the sides of their eyes to watch the light flickering
  • Respond less to pain than other children

Other common issues they might face are sleep difficulties, anxiety, depression, aggressive behaviour, eating disorder, and difficulties in executive functioning like planning, organising, and school refusal.

If enough signs of autism are present, health professionals might diagnose your child with ASD. Generally, health professionals will make an ASD diagnosis only when they’ve ruled out other possible explanations for a child’s behaviour.

Professionals such as paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, speech-language therapists, occupational therapists, and special educators will be involved in diagnosing and planning interventions for ASD.