Autism / ASD

Symptoms of Autism in a Nonverbal Child:

Reduced eye contact – Avoids any type of eye-to-eye contact, however they have the tendency of staring at one object for a long time. They may stare in one direction and tend to look “zoned out”.
Uninterested in things – No interest at all in objects, and little or no pointing towards objects.
Poor response – Child may give the impression that they are deaf because they tend to ignore verbal language. For example, they may not answer when their name is called.
Limited Interaction – Poor overall development of social skills with little or no interaction with peers. In some cases, lack of interaction with their own parents other than to satisfy basic needs. If they do engage, it is limited and not sustained.
Lack of affect – The child may seem like he is unhappy, or simply never smile. Autistic children do not react to stimuli such as smiling or laughing.
Impulsive and unpredictable behavior, particularly outside the home
Poor turn taking skills in joint activities.

Delayed speech and language for the child’s age
Repetitive Speech, or echolalia
Random or perseverative use of ideas
Lack of symbolic or imaginative play
Poor eye contact and awareness to others
Limited engagement with others with little use of verbal or nonverbal turn taking
Uses language to meet needs rather than to share information or socialize
Can understand language, but has difficulty following multistep commands
Thrives on routines with poor transitioning from one activity to another
Has limited interest in the world- self absorbed
Does not bond with peers
General behavior pattern: self-stim behaviors, sensory integration problems, difficult to manage, inflexible

Normal or advanced language development
Typically has an above average vocabulary
Tends to recite memorized scripts with irrelevant contextual meaning
Poor eye contact and limited facial expression may also have a monotone or atypical speech rhythm
Has trouble reading nonverbal social cues
Difficulty forming social bonds with peers
Does better with familiar adults
Unlike a severely autistic child who does not have the desire to socialize, a child with Apserger’s wants to socialize and conform with peers, but does not know how to relate to others
Inappropriate emotional responses in social contexts (does not laugh at a joke, or laughs at the wrong time)
Difficulty processing more complex language. Learns best visually
Reduced imaginative play
Narrow repertoire of interests, though usually very talented in some specific areas
Difficulty with conversational initiation, turn taking, and topic maintenance
General Behavior pattern: rigid, loves routine, and often has sensory processing problems

These and many other symptoms can be assessed and possibly even helped through our services.