How To Tell If You Have Autism

here is a guide to tell if you have autism. it goes over some of the basic symptoms and tests. for future use

## Core symptoms

 The severity of symptoms varies greatly, but all people with autism have some core symptoms in the areas of:

* **Social interactions and relationships.** Symptoms may include:
	+ Significant problems developing nonverbal communication skills, such as eye-to-eye gazing, facial expressions, and body posture.
	+ Failure to establish friendships with children the same age.
	+ Lack of interest in sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people.
	+ Lack of empathy. People with autism may have difficulty understanding another person's feelings, such as pain or sorrow.

* **Verbal and nonverbal communication.** Symptoms may include:
	+ Delay in, or lack of, learning to talk. As many as 40% of people with autism never speak.1
	+ Problems

 taking steps to start a conversation. Also, people with autism have
difficulties continuing a conversation after it has begun.

* + Stereotyped

 and repetitive use of language. People with autism often repeat over
and over a phrase they have heard previously (echolalia).

* + Difficulty

 understanding their listener's perspective. For example, a person with
autism may not understand that someone is using humor. They may
interpret the communication word for word and fail to catch the implied
meaning.

* **Limited interests in activities or play.** Symptoms may include:
	+ An

 unusual focus on pieces. Younger children with autism often focus on
parts of toys, such as the wheels on a car, rather than playing with the
 entire toy.

* + Preoccupation with certain topics. For example,

older children and adults may be fascinated by video games, trading
cards, or license plates.

* + A need for sameness and routines. For

example, a child with autism may always need to eat bread before salad
and insist on driving the same route every day to school.

* + Stereotyped behaviors. These may include body rocking and hand flapping.

* **Behavioral assessments.** Various guidelines and

questionnaires are used to help a doctor determine the specific type of
developmental delay a child has. These include:2

* + Medical history.

 During the medical history interview, a doctor asks general questions
about a child's development, such as whether a child shows parents
things by pointing to objects. Young children with autism often point to
 items they want, but do not point to show parents an item and then
check to see if parents are looking at the item being pointed out.

* + Diagnostic guidelines for autism. The American Association of Childhood

 and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has established guidelines for diagnosing autism.2 The criteria are designed so a doctor can assess a child's behavior relating to core symptoms of autism.

* + Clinical

 observations. A doctor may want to observe the developmentally delayed
child in different situations. The parents may be asked to interpret
whether certain behaviors are usual for the child in those
circumstances.

* + Developmental and intelligence tests. The AACAP

also recommends that tests be given to evaluate whether a child's
developmental delays affect his or her ability to think and make
decisions.

* **Physical assessments and laboratory tests.** Other tests may be used to determine whether a physical problem may be causing symptoms. These tests include:
	+ Physical exam, including head circumference, weight, and height measurements, to determine whether the child has a normal growth pattern.
	+ Hearing tests, to determine whether hearing problems may be causing developmental delays, especially those related to social skills and language use.
	+ Testing for lead poisoning, especially if a condition called pica

 (in which a person craves substances that are not food, such as dirt or
 flecks of old paint) is present. Children with developmental delays
usually continue putting items in their mouth after this stage has passed in normally developing children. This practice can result in lead poisoning, which should be identified and treated as soon as possible.
 Other lab tests may be done under specific circumstances. These tests include:

* Chromosomal analysis, which may be done if intellectual disability is present or there is a family history of intellectual disability. For example, fragile X syndrome,

 which causes a range of below-normal intelligence problems as well as
autistic-like behaviors, can be identified with a chromosomal analysis.

* An electroencephalograph (EEG), which is done if there are symptoms of seizures, such as a history of staring spells or if a person reverts to less mature behavior (developmental regression).
* MRI, which may be done if there are signs of differences in the structure of the brain.