Preschool Autism Symptoms

Autism is a central nervous system disorder that causes difficulties with communication and social interactions, repetitive behaviors and a narrow range of interests. In young children, it is referred to as a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins in infancy or early childhood. According to the March of Dimes, some children with autism develop normally for the first year of life, but begin to fall behind in social skills or fail to develop normal language skills within the second year of life. Although some are diagnosed as early as 18 months, many do not receive an official diagnosis until around the age of 3. Autism affects as many as 1 in every 150 children in the United States, and boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.

Language Delay

• One of the first clues that a preschool-age child could have autism is a language delay. With proper intervention at this stage, children with autism can and do make measurable gains in language development. Because autism can range from mild to severe, the degree of language delay varies among individuals, making it difficult to distinguish mild delays caused by autism from other developmental disorders or environmental influences in young children.

Communication

• Impaired communication skills present with the inability or impaired ability to express needs and wants, inability to initiate or sustain normal conversation, odd or usual language use, repeating words or phrases when spoken to, or simply not responding to verbal cues and appearing as though deaf.

Social Interactions

• Social interaction impairments are reflected in the child's inability to play with peers, failure to adequately interpret nonverbal communication and body language (such as eye contact and facial expressions), failure to understand feelings and emotions expressed or implied by others, and a sometimes inexplicable expression of either laughter or sadness without apparent cause.

Repetitive Behaviors

• Repetitive behaviors might take the form of repeated opening and closing doors, spinning wheels on toy cars, twirling in a swing, or stacking blocks or toys the same way every time. The child may develop a specific routine and be unable to break the routine. He might develop odd habits such as always removing the left shoe first or placing his toys in the same spot every time. Disruptions from the routine may cause considerable stress and result in tantrums or emotional outbursts.

Interests

• A narrow range of interests might keep children with autism focused on one topic. They may develop an interest in mechanical toys with a particular fascination with moving parts or flashing lights. As they mature, some might develop interests in numbers, dates, calendars or unusual facts, such as baseball averages or other isolated trivia.

Play

• Play may consist of ritualistic activities that show little variation from day to day. Children with autism are often very literal, exhibit a lack of imaginative play and often prefer to play alone instead of seeking out playmates. Although they may show signs of sustained attention when playing with an object, when not engaged in an activity of their choosing, attention is limited.