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Why Don’t Children with Autism Respond to Their Name?

One of the early warning signs that a child might have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is that they don’t respond to their name. This question is asked on the M-CHAT, or the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, which is a screening questionnaire…
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Playing Pretend and Autism: Why Do Children with Autism Struggle with Pretend Play or Imitation?

Children go off into magical worlds, blurring imagination with reality in what is called pretend play. It’s truly a pleasure to watch children having fun exploring and acting out different scenarios this way, but pretend play is also a crucial…
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Regulating Emotions and Autism

People who have autism face many challenges that they deal with on a daily basis. Some of the common challenges include communication, social interaction and regulating emotions. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might not be able…
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The Trouble with Eye Contact

Some children who have autism might avoid eye contact more so than their neurotypical peers. This isn’t a symptom of their autism spectrum disorder (ASD), though, as not every child on the autism spectrum avoids eye contact. The reason…
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What is the DSM-FIVE?

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that’s diagnosed based upon the prevalence of symptoms, rather than by any underlying medical examinations or blood tests. This is one reason why it can be challenging to diagnose autism, since it isn’t…
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Everything You Need to Know about M-CHAT

Advances in medical research and technology have enabled healthcare professionals to screen for various diseases, disorders and conditions from an early age. Such pre-diagnostic screening has greatly benefitted the overall health of all people,…