Autism and ASD in Children

What Is Autism and ASD?

Receiving an autism diagnosis for your child is an emotionally complex experience. Whether you expected it or it’s coming as a shock, an official diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can make parents feel both overwhelmed and uncertain about what steps to take next. Take a deep breath and start by remembering this. You’re not alone on this journey. Our team, with more than 30 years of brilliant and successful experience is here to give you and your child support and guidance on this journey.
Autism is also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). People with Autism have challenges with communication and social skills. They also have repetitive behaviors or restricted interests. We can often see signs and symptoms of Autism in very young children. But, sometimes, these signs and symptoms are not very noticeable, and they might not be recognized until school age or even adulthood. Signs and symptoms may change as the person gets older, but people with Autism likely have some challenges with communication, social skills, and behaviors.

Communication

Communication includes understanding, talking, reading, and writing.

A child with Autism may have challenges:

• Understanding and using gestures like pointing or waving
• Understanding and using words
• Following directions
• Learning to read or write—some children with autism read early but do not understand what they read (this is called hyperlexia)
• Having conversations

A child with Autism may:

• Lose early words
• Be hard to understand;
• Repeat words or phrases that they just heard recently or that they heard days or weeks earlier (this is called echolalia)
• Use a robotic or singsong-speaking voice
• Talk very little or not at all
• Use challenging behaviors instead of words or gestures to communicate what they want

Social Skills

A child with Autism may have challenges relating to others. It might seem like they are not interested in others or in making friends.

It may be hard for a person with autism to:

• Share attention with someone else and focus on the same object or event
• Join in play with others and share toys
• Respond when others invite them to play or talk
• Understand how others feel
• Take turns in play or conversation
• Make and keep friends

Behaviors

A child with Autism may:

• Repeat certain behaviors, including hand or body movements
• Cry, laugh, or become angry for unknown reasons
• Have trouble changing from one activity to the next
• Get upset by certain sounds, smells, or textures
• Like only a few foods
• Choose foods based on look or texture
• Show interest in only a few objects or topics

Does my child have signs of Autism?

Even some children who do not have Autism can show a few of the symptoms (like delayed language skills). Parents should be aware that these symptoms do not necessarily mean your child is on the autism spectrum.
Autism is known as a spectrum because individuals who have the disorder can show a range of possible symptoms. And, those symptoms can have widely varying levels of severity.
If your child demonstrates difficulties with social interaction or shows restrictive, repetitive behaviors that match the core signs of Autism, the best thing you can do is to reach out to our professional for an evaluation. Persian Speech Clinic is here to help your child succeed. Our team of specialists are experts in working with children on the Autism spectrum and offer Speech Therapy, special programs and classes, and parent training.

Early intervention

Interventions by Speech Therapy can be highly effective at helping a child with Autism improve their developmental skills. Early intervention is one of the keys to unlocking the most improvements. A child’s brain develops more rapidly during their first 5 years than at any other point in their lives. Children are more receptive to learning new skills at these young ages because the brain is more easily influenced by change.