Autistic disorder in children.. Social interactions, language, communication, and behaviour

growth disorders:

Autism (or autistic disorder) is the most common developmental disorder, and children with autism typically have problems in three vital areas of development: social interactions, language, communication, and behaviour. The severity of the symptoms varies widely among children. A child with severe autism shows a complete inability to communicate or interact with others.

Signs of autism:

Some children show signs of autism at an early age. Others develop normally for the first few months or years, and then suddenly turn on themselves, become aggressive or lose the language they have acquired.

Symptoms of autism:

Although every child has unique behavior, the most common symptoms in children are:

In terms of social skills:

• Difficulty making eye contact or understanding facial expressions.
• Difficulty decoding emotional expressions (knowing if someone is sad) and difficulty interpreting other people's intentions.
• Difficulty expressing his feelings.
• No response when called by name.
• Preferring to play alone, withdrawing into his own world.
• Inability to make friends of the same age.
• Inability to play avatar games.

In terms of language and communication:

• The child begins to speak after two years of age.
• Other developmental delays appear around 30 months.
• The child does not look at his interlocutor when he is talking to someone.
• Inability to start or maintain a conversation.
• The child speaks in an unnatural rhythm or tone (singing or "mechanical" voice).
• The child can repeat the words, but does not understand their meaning.

In terms of behaviour:

• The tendency to perform repetitive motions (called stereotypes) such as rocking, clapping, or spinning.
• Excessive reliance on certain procedures or rituals.
• A fascination with certain parts of something, for example a spinning wheel on a toy.
• The child is constantly moving.
• Hypersensitivity or sensitivity to light, sound, touch, or certain textures, or insensitivity to pain. This peculiarity may be explained by a disorder in the processing of sensory information.
• The child does not seek to share his interests with others.
• Outbursts of anger and aggressive gestures directed at oneself (self-aggression) and/or directed at others (hetero-aggression).

It is best to see a specialist as soon as possible if your child, does not babble or tweet by 12 months of age, does not make gestures to communicate such as pointing to an object or a picture, and has not said a single word by 16 months of age, nor a two-word sentence by 24 months.