Physical & Emotional Symptoms of Autism

Autism falls under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) along with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger's syndrome. As the symptoms of these disorders tend to overlap, only a medical professional can best ascertain which symptoms belong to which categories. Below are generalized symptoms of those who are typically diagnosed as having autism, but keep in mind that each case can be quite unique.

Physical Symptoms

• Gross motor coordination difficulties that may affect walking, athletic activities and, in early childhood, crawling.

  Fine motor coordination difficulties that may impact handwriting and precision activities (e.g., cutting, coloring, etc.).

  Hypersensitivity. This can include reactions to lights, sounds, tastes, smells and tactile stimuli. It can also explain why children with autism frequently are picky about foods they eat and the textures associated with them.

  Impaired immunity. Children with autism may catch illnesses easier such as colds or infections (not necessarily due to lower immune response but may be a response to how the child interacts with his environment).

  Gastrointestinal issues including gut pain, flatulence and loose stools.

  Poor muscle tone or obesity (due to lack of athletic activity in some cases).

  Repetitive behaviors (i.e., tics) and a tendency toward tantrums that can appear to be caused for no reason.

Emotional Symptoms

• Easily irritated or frustrated by change in routines or environment. Preference for sameness and difficulty adapting to changes, big or small.

  Difficulty expressing physical affection or reacting typically to demonstrations of it. A child with autism, for example, may not be responsive to a person hugging him even if he allows someone to touch him.

  Demonstrates, at times, an appearance of a lack of empathy and will not know how to express concern appropriately.

  Lack of facial expressions and inability to interpret others’ facial or nonverbal body cues.

  May dislike being touched or coming into physical contact with others.

  Unable to convey nonverbal cues with voice or body such as tone or pitch. Also cannot interpret these same characteristics that others demonstrate, which can lead to misunderstandings or poor communication with those unaccustomed with autism.

Social Symptoms

• Tendency to play by oneself or engage in elaborate imaginative play to the point the child appears socially withdrawn.

  Difficult to engage in conversation. A child with autism may either talk very little or talk obsessively about one topic and not engage the other person in normal conversational give and take.

  Cannot understand jokes or humor expressed by others. Those with autism have a tendency to take everything very literally and, as a result, may misinterpret common social situations.

  Difficulty interacting with a peer group. A person with autism is often unaware of subtle, nonverbal communication and frequently has difficulty understanding slang or jargon of her age group.

  Will avoid eye contact and not respond if he believes he is not directly being spoken to.

  Experience difficulty in certain normative situations and with the appropriate social reactions. Those with autism need to be reminded to reply to someone when spoken to, to say hello and good-bye, and many other interactions most take for granted. People with autism need a variety of social scripts to blend with others.