How does autism affect a child?

Two things to remember. First of all, every child is different, but not every difference is a disability. What you describe could be a bored, gifted kid who isn't interested in proving that he can do simple tasks. Secondly, autism is a spectrum disorder, which means some people have mild effects from it, while others have more severe effects.

If a young child, say two years old, is sitting on the floor by themselves playing with a toy with a parent nearby, they will usually look at the toy, look at the parent, look at the toy, look back at the parent. If the child keeps all their concentration on the toy instead, you'll want to schedule an appointment with a doctor. Autism is a medical diagnosis. The child may actually be too young for a definitive diagnosis of autism, so the doctor may diagnose a Developmental Delay instead.

If the doctor does report one of these diagnoses, you'll want to contact the local school system, even if the child is nowhere near old enough for school. The most effective interventions for autism are early interventions. The most effect interventions for conditions that might look like autism (fetal alcohol syndrome, for instance) are also usually early ones. School systems and other programs now provide special education services for wee ones who qualify. At least one reason for that is that they will save themselves big headaches later on if they do.

Effects of autism are seen most often in language development and use, as well as in social relationships with peers in particular. You might find that language in autistic individuals is severely delayed, compared to their non-autistic peers. You might find that an autistic youngster can successfully read high-school-level texts aloud, but will be unable to answer comprehension questions about texts written for first and second graders. An individual with Asperger's might have no impairment in language ability, but may have trouble building relationships with peers, in part because they really don't care what other people think of them.

I'm not a doctor, I'm not an expert, but this will hopefully give you a general idea.

Autism is not the cause of the symptoms; it is merely the name. Try to find out what causes the Autism. That may shed some light on his differences. Also, don't worry. You'll probably have to work on desensitising him with some things, but he'll probably be able to function better.

P.S. Try to listen to him. You may learn something.

my partner suffers from aspergers, its a form of autism here are some of the symptoms of autism:

Symptoms of autism first appear in children in their first three years. In severe cases, autistic behaviour may be noticed soon after birth. There are three main types of symptoms. Children with autism, rather than ASD, usually have some symptoms from all of the groups.

Social difficulties:

Generally, this group of symptoms can be described as difficulty getting on with other people. Children with ASD may:

*rarely make full eye contact

*not seek affection in the usual way, and resist being cuddled or kissed

*be unable to play with their peers, and have difficulty making friends

*not understand other people's emotions

*find it difficult to accept simple social rules, which can cause problems at school

Imagination :

Children with autism may show very little or no interest in imaginative play. Instead they may show excessive interest in repetitive activities, such as lining up their toys or watching the washing machine drum rotate for an extended period of time.Games may remain exactly the same every day, and be the type of games usually played by younger children.

Speech may be affected, with difficulty starting or keeping up conversations, and odd use of words.

Behaviour:

Children with autism may learn to sit up or walk later than most children.

They may have odd mannerisms such as rocking back and forth, hand flapping, walking on tip-toes or head banging.

Children with autism and Asperger's syndrome tend to be clumsy and to struggle with games lessons at school.

Obsessions may develop in older children and adolescents, such as excessive interest in timetables or lists, and in storing up trivial facts.

Children with autism may be easily upset or angered if their daily routine is changed. Some are extremely sensitive to noise, and may be very disturbed by an unexpected noise from a vacuum cleaner or hairdryer.

1- how they react with others, it depends on the severness of the syndrom. alot of times they wont look you in the eye, wont talk, or talkes/sings to him or herself. repeat motions and or saying. doesnt not notice ppl around the room. hearing can be affected. can be violent, alot of times they will do shuch things as pick all the hair off a stuffed animal or play with hair. alot of times they will be fixated on one item such as a candle or a toy car. may need to be taught normal things like putting sand into a bucket. speach is a big problem.

once again it all depends on the severity of the syndrom.

you may also want to look into asbergers syndrom wich is like autism.

hope this helps plz email me!

Nope- that is not a sign.

See the above posters for info. Our son has autism and it's very complex.

a child who is autistic usually can't speak at all and always seem to be in their own world. i don't think your nephew is autistic just stubborn.

im not sure nbut i think they have problems communicating to others. they can hear and understand you well but tey cannot talk so good. hope that helps!