Signs and Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental condition that affects how someone behaves and communicates, carries signs and symptoms that vary widely among individuals. Some people might experience only mild symptoms that don't interfere with functioning, whereas others feel more intense symptoms that make daily life challenging. Left untreated, ASD can worsen in severity. 

Signs and Symptoms of Autism in Children

Although many people living with this condition share a host of similar signs and symptoms, they look a little different between children and adults. 

Symptoms of autism in children fall into two major categories: communication challenges and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Children may also experience sensory issues and might find themselves overstimulated or understimulated by sounds, light, smells, or pain. 

Communication Challenges

This is a symptom that is common in children and adults. For example, autistic people might struggle to speak, maintain eye contact, control their facial expressions, or repeat gestures.

These are some of the other ways communication challenges might reveal themselves in people with this condition: 

• They may not respect people’s personal space. 
• They don't respond to their name when it’s called, especially at a really young age.
• They have a hard time playing with children of the same age.
• They find it difficult to understand other people’s emotions and, in some cases, don't know they’ve hurt someone else’s feelings. 
• They often get distracted in between conversations.
• They might sometimes speak in a tone that is different from their regular tone of voice and keep this going for a while.
• They may find it difficult to understand non-verbal cues.

Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors

Autistic children might engage in certain behaviors that might seem atypical if you aren’t familiar with them. They could also repeat these behaviors very often.

Some restricted and repetitive behaviors autistic children exhibit include: 

• Lining up personal items in a particular order and getting upset when they are placed out of order 
• Repeating a particular word or phrase several times 
• Repeating certain gestures over and over again. For instance, they might spin in a circle several times or clap their hands together repeatedly.
• Sticking to strict routines and getting upset when anyone or thing disrupts their routine 
• They might get obsessive when they find a thing or activity that interests them. For instance, a child with ASD might refuse to go to bed or engage in any activities at all if they aren’t wearing their favorite hat.
• Engaging in activities that could result in self-harm, like repeatedly banging their head against a wall 

Some other signs of ASD in children that don’t particularly fall under any of the above categories include: 

• Experiencing a delay in the development of their language skills. This means they might start speaking much later than their peers. 
• Exhibiting hyperactive and impulsive behaviors 
• Experiencing mild to severe mood swings
• Having an unusual sleep routine 
• Having unusual eating habits. An autistic child might only eat at certain times, refuse to eat certain foods, or show such a strong preference for certain foods they need to be included in almost every meal. 

Signs and Symptoms of Autism in Adults

Autism tends to feel and look a little different in adults and between men and women. Autistic women might be quieter and show fewer overt signs of the condition, making it harder to recognize and diagnose.

Some of the common symptoms autistic adults experience include: 

• Sticking to a very strict routine and becoming upset at the slightest disruption of their routine 
• Experiencing anxiety in even the smallest social situations and often preferring to be isolated 
• They may take things very literally. For example, they may not understand or pick up on sarcasm.
• Difficulty expressing themselves emotionally 
• Difficulty controlling their tone of voice in situations that call for it. For instance, they might come off as rude or brash to people even when they don’t mean to.
• Struggling to make or maintain eye contact with other people 

Complications and Comorbidities

Research shows that people with autism have significant co-occurrences of mental and physical disorders such as ADHD and sleep disorders. These conditions might last throughout their lives or might diminish in severity at different stages of the condition.

It’s often difficult for many co-occurring disorders to be diagnosed because autistic people often have communication difficulties.

Some of the most common co-occurring conditions autistic people might experience include: 

• Seizure disorders: Autistic people might also live with seizure disorders like epilepsy. Some research shows that up to 25% to 40% of autistic people live with seizure disorders.
• Eating disorders: Obesity and anorexia brought on by eating disorders could sometimes occur with autistic people. This is typically a result of selective eating patterns, which is a common symptom of the condition.
• Sleep disorders: Some research shows that up to 50% to 80% of autistic children live with sleep disorders. They might find it difficult to fall asleep or be unable to remain asleep all through the night.

Asperger Syndrome 

Asperger syndrome (AS) used to be classified separately from ASD by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, in the latest version of the manual, AS has been grouped with ASD. As a result, people formerly diagnosed with AS are now considered to be on the autistic spectrum.

As autistic children grow, some of these symptoms may disappear or lessen in severity with proper care. However, autism is a lifelong condition, and no cure currently exists for it.

If any of these signs and symptoms seem familiar either with your children or someone you know, it’s advisable to speak to a doctor about it. Sometimes symptoms of ASD might also be indicative of other developmental disorders.