Symptoms of Autism

As far as the symptoms of autism are concerned their severity varies from case to case but some symptoms are common to all patients of autism. Such symptoms of autism are discussed here briefly.

1- Difficulty in Social Interaction and Verbal Communication

Firstly a patient of autism shows impairment in developing social interaction with people other than his family members or caregivers. These people can include his relatives or neighbors or family friends. Such child wanted to keep him away from mixing with these people. When he starts going school he also shows hesitation to make friends and to express his feelings or needs to his teacher. Problems in verbal communication further aggravate the condition and make him alone among many persons present around him.            

2- Problems in Non- Verbal Communication

Communication problems faced by a patient of autism do not confined to verbal communication only, such patients also face difficulties in non verbal communication including eye to eye contact, facial expressions and overall body language etc.    

3- Lack of Interest in Normal Life Activities

A child suffering from autism takes little or no interest in normal life activities like playing, talking, shopping, making relations and in achieving goals. Due to lack of interest in these vital life activities he lags far behind in the race of normal life development.    

4- Lack of Feeling Other’s Pain or Sorrow

Such mentally retarded person also shows indifferent behavior towards painful feeling of other people. If he sees someone crying, weeping or suffering from grief he gives no response or reaction to such painful condition. It seems that he has no ability to differentiate between the moments of happiness and grief in one’s life as he react same in these opposite situations. It dose not matter for him that someone is laughing or crying, his reaction remains same for both situations.       

5- Impaired Language and Hearing Skills

A patient of autism also shows obvious difficulties or impairment in case of speaking and hearing abilities. Research has proved that almost 40% of autism patients do not speak for their whole life. Others who are able to speak often face delay in start talking or show difficulties in language problems. In some cases of autism patient used to repeat same phrase or sentence again and again which he heard previously. This condition is called echolalia during which same phrase fix in his mind and he repeats it over and again.

6- Impaired Hearing Skills          

Autism also creates problems for a sufferer in developing his normal hearing skills. Such patients either do not hear at all or continuously hear a same noisy sound like whistle of a train. Such disturbed hearing background also makes it difficult to focus over other things or to take interest in normal activities.   

7- Lack of Understanding Things

Lack of understanding the implied meaning of things is another symptom of autism. Such patient does not understand the meaning or humor, jock or satire hidden in one’s comments.  

8- Feel Need for Sameness

Sufferer of autism also shows interest or insists upon the sameness of things like same pattern to take food, same way to reach school and same timing to start or end specific activities. If due to some reason this sameness disturbs, patient show extreme depression or anxiety to protest against it in his own way.         

9- Lack of Focus or Concentration

A child suffering from autism often lacks the ability to focus over objects properly. For example if he is looking at his mother’s face he will focus on his eyes, nose or lips alone rather than looking at her face as a complete whole. He shows same behavior while playing with a toy. Like if he is playing with a car he will focus over its wheels or its lights etc but will not take it as a complete object.            

10- Sleeping Problems

Almost 40% to 7% persons suffering from autism have sleeping problems and have to take specific medication for taking adequate sleep required for normal life functioning. If such sleeping problems left untreated it can add more severity in uneasiness or depression of a patient.     

Dependency in Autism’s Patient

Due to having lacking factors in all vital areas of normal human activity the patient of autism becomes partially or fully dependent upon others. in almost 33% cases patient partially depends upon others for communicating with the world around him. The probability of dependency in autism patient also depends upon his personal intelligence and ability to deal the situations. Intelligent patients with no serious speaking and hearing problems are less dependent upon others while patients with low cognitive level and serious speech inability have to depend on their family and friends to fulfill their essential needs. In such cases residential treatment program play a vital role in which family members are trained to deal with the patient of autism in a way which could help him to improve his communication level gradually. If family members play their role properly then there left little need for long clinical treatment in a specific environment for a long time.