What Does Autism Look Like?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex, complicated and diverse neurodevelopmental disorder. Unlike some other disorders, such as Down syndrome, there is no blood test that can be used to diagnose autism.

Instead, trained clinical psychologists and other professionals base ASD diagnoses on a person’s behaviors and whether they are developing as they should based on their age.

For those who are not trained professionals, it might be difficult to understand how a child on the autism spectrum acts because autism doesn’t “look” any particular way. Unlike Down syndrome, for instance, autism doesn’t display with any physical afflictions.

As it’s purely a neurodevelopmental disorder, autism only affects how a person processes information and stimuli, how they behave and what challenges they may face that neurotypical individuals don’t.

Below, we dive deeper into what autism looks like by describing some of the common ways that autism affects individuals.

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Social Interactions

Many children on the autism spectrum face challenges with “normal” social interactions. It’s possible that you may even be able to identify some of these signs from an early age.

If, for example, your child doesn’t make great eye contact, it could be an early sign that they have ASD. Children on the autism spectrum might not react in typical ways to certain social cues and facial expressions, either.

They might not smile at a young age when they see a recognizable face such as their mom or dad. As they get older, they might not understand other non-verbal communication such as someone giving a thumbs-up or rolling their eyes.

With these difficulties present, children with autism might have trouble fitting in with their peers. Other children their age in school and other group settings might recognize that something is different about them, and ostracize them as a result.

This can cause children with autism to feel secluded, left out, alone, anxious, sad and stressed.

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Restrictive and/or Repetitive Behaviors

Another telltale sign of autism is the exhibition of restrictive and/or repetitive behaviors.

Many children on the autism spectrum have interests that are extreme. This could include memorizing certain facts from history or taking a keen interest in categorizing certain aspects of a subject in school.

They might have a great memory and be able to recall something that happened years ago. Many children with autism focus on basic things such as colors, letters and numbers during their play with themselves or with others.

Some children on the autism spectrum might become fixated on a specific subject, book, toy or video, and want to play with it, read it or watch it repeatedly.

Children with autism typically thrive on rigid routines. Knowing this can help others around them support them, since having knowledge about what’s coming next may help them feel comfortable.

At the same time, they might become easily overwhelmed and feel very stressed and anxious at even the slightest adjustment to this daily routine.

Sensory Challenges

Many individuals with autism experience challenges with sensory stimuli. They may not like how a certain material feels on their skin, for example, and therefore can’t wear clothes that are made from that material.

They may struggle with loud, sudden noises, such as when a driver beeps their horn or someone runs a vacuum cleaner. They may not react well to strong smells, which could be present in something as simple as hand soap.

Learn more about how it feels to have autism

All of these challenges present themselves because children on the autism spectrum typically have trouble processing stimuli. As a result, they react in ways that don’t seem appropriate for what happens.

It’s important to understand what specific sensitivities children with autism may have, so that you can help to reduce the effects of these stimuli. If they are going to be attending a family get-together that might get loud, it could be helpful to provide a “quiet room” where they can go to if they’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

This may help to calm their nerves and process their emotions and sensory stimuli in a way that better suits them.

Blue Gems ABA Helps Children With Autism Succeed

There’s no one way that autism looks. Since autism doesn’t affect people physically, in fact, it often doesn’t present itself in visible ways to the untrained eye.

In addition, ASD is often misunderstood simply because of how complex and complicated it is. How autism affects one child, for instance, might be drastically different from how it affects another.

That’s why at Blue Gems ABA, we specialize in administering applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy, in a personal way, customized to each individual patient. Our team of experienced therapists help children with autism succeed by building the social, communication and daily life skills they might struggle with.

To learn more, please contact us today.