What Are the Symptoms of Autism?

Symptoms of autism are:

• social communication challenges and

• restricted, repetitive behaviors.

Symptoms of autism may:

• begin in early childhood (though they may go unrecognized)
• persist and
• interfere with daily living.

in the two categories above. They also a part of the autism symptom severity. Autism’s.  how much support a person needs for daily function.

Social communication challenges

Children and adults with autism have difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication. For example, they may not understand or appropriately use:

• Spoken language (around a third of people with autism are nonverbal)
• Gestures
• Eye contact
• Facial expressions
• Tone of voice
• Expressions not meant to be taken literally

Additional social challenges can include difficulty with:

• Recognizing emotions and intentions in others
• Recognizing one’s own emotions
• Expressing emotions
• Seeking emotional comfort from others
• Feeling overwhelmed in social situations
• Taking turns in conversation
• Gauging personal space (appropriate distance between people)

Restricted and repetitive behaviors

Restricted and repetitive behaviors vary greatly across the autism spectrum. They can include:

• Repetitive body movements (e.g. rocking, flapping, spinning, running back and forth) 
• Repetitive motions with objects (e.g. spinning wheels, shaking sticks, flipping levers)
• Staring at lights or spinning objects
• Ritualistic behaviors (e.g. lining up objects, repeatedly touching objects in a set order)
• Narrow or extreme interests in specific topics
• Need for unvarying routine/resistance to change (e.g. same daily schedule, meal menu, clothes, route to school)