According to the CDC, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined as a “developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.” This means that children growing up with ASD can face difficulties in social settings and with communicating their thoughts.
Not all children present the same behaviors and symptoms. What one child diagnosed with ASD goes through may not be the same experience as another child. For those not diagnosed with ASD and wanting to learn some techniques to help them befriend those who have been diagnosed with ASD, this blog entry may be a great place to start.
For parents or those expecting, here are some resources and signs to look for if you’re concerned about your child’s development.
Commons Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD
Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can look like different levels of the same behaviors, so it’s important to pay attention to your child’s development from the beginning. Some of the more common signs can include:
- Difficulty making eye contact
- Overly focused on certain objects or subjects
- Late development of communication skills
- Seeming to care less about social situations over time
- Continued repetition of movements, such as rocking back and forth
These are some of the more common ways ASD can look in younger children. Some signs may be hard to notice at first or dismissed. And not every child with ASD will experience the same symptoms. In fact, the old statistic of boys being more likely to have ASD could be a result of misdiagnosing or missing the signs in young girls. Boys are often studied more for ASD than girls because girls often show less obvious signs of ASD.
While Comanche County Memorial Hospital doesn’t offer services specifically relating to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), if you suspect your child may be facing difficulties because of ASD, you can find and make an appointment with one of our family medicine physicians and discuss options for how to receive a diagnosis or help resources.
Disclaimer
The Comanche County Memorial Hospital website does not provide specific medical advice for individual cases. Comanche County Memorial Hospital does not endorse any medical or professional services obtained through information provided on this site, articles on the site or any links on this site.
Use of the information obtained by the Comanche County Memorial Hospital website does not replace medical advice given by a qualified medical provider to meet the medical needs of our readers or others.
While content is frequently updated, medical information changes quickly. Information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies or typographical errors. For questions or concerns, please contact us at contact@ccmhhealth.com.
Sources:
CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
NIH. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Autism-Spectrum-Disorder-Fact-Sheet