Mild Autism
Mild Autism is normally associated with another form of neurobiological disorder called Asperger’s Syndrome. Children may not show any signs of autism until they reach the age of three years old and that is when parent starts to notice signs of mild Autism. Any form of autism will run through their entire lifetime. Most children with this type of Autism have average IQ levels, sometimes even higher and have behaviors that are not so noticeable.
In order for parents to identify the symptoms of mild Autism in a timely manner, here are the steps you should follow. Since the symptoms of Autism vary, one or two of these behaviors does not mean the child has autism.
- Children may find it difficult to initiate conversation and make friends but can relate to adults and family members. Although the child is able to initiate a conversation, they cannot sustain it for long. They are socially clumsy.
- The child may get so absorbed in playing with a certain toy that the child ignores the presence of others around them. They may even line the toy(s) up on a table or floor. On some occasions, the child may continue to stare at that particular toy for a long period. They do not care for toys that spur the imagination.
- Some children may show odd characteristics of communication. Some of these characteristics may be talking about totally unrelated things or talking too fast.
- Children can display immense right up to the minute details of topics or non-trivial things such as naming the parts of a car engine and being able to count them.
- Children may find it extremely difficult maintaining direct eye-to-eye contact with other people for long.
- Children may be suffering from mild Autism if the child shows very strange characteristics. Some of these might be lack of consideration for others and or severe mood swings at an early age.
- Children may keep repeating lines from a certain movie, book, or previous conversation. They have outstanding memorization abilities.
- Children may display serious problems in figuring out another person’s body language. They may also have poor motor skills.
- Extreme attraction to unusual subjects such as dinosaurs or horror films
Children with symptoms of mild autism are often teased because they are different from the other children. Parents need to make sure that children with this condition are dealt with the utmost care. If these children are neglected, the teasing and ignorance can lead to the child to become severely autistic. Mild Autism is also known as pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). It is also called high-functioning autism.
Children with mild Autism tend to take longer to speak, be unable to talk in complete sentences, verbalize their thoughts and feelings, and understand instructions. They can also have temper tantrums fueled by minor occurrences. The symptoms are so subtle that mild autism can go undiagnosed and unnoticed. There are specific treatments that can improve symptoms and make the life of a child with mild autism much happier and easier.