Wondering About Autism

Communication

• Repeats or echoes words and sounds
• Was using words but then stopped
• Moves or pulls your hand to what they want, often without looking at you
• Asks for help by using another person’s hand as a tool (e.g., putting caregiver’s hand on a container for them to open)
• Uses few if any gestures like waving bye-bye or pointing
• Not using gestures such as waving, clapping, lifting their arms to be picked up, pointing, or shaking their head to refuse

Social Interaction and Engagement

• Looks intensely at things and may flap their hands or bounce up and down
• Looks away or at an object when talking or being talked to
• Chooses to play on their own and joining your child’s play can be difficult
• May not respond to their name being called but reacts to other sounds
• Changing routines and handling surprises, even good ones, can be hard

Play

• Plays with the same toy in the same way even when new toys are available
• Likes order and will lines up toys and or other things
• Repeats a play sequence over and over
• Intense interest in objects, actions, letters or numbers
• Focuses on sensory aspects of objects such as how things smell, taste, feel, move, or sound
• Sounds, touch and movement games may cause distress