- ▢ Not able to fall asleep on their own and not consistently sleeping through the night
- ▢ Picky eating, constipation, or other gut issues
- ▢ A regression in language at any point along the way; said words early then stopped
- ▢ Not understanding what others are saying; not being aware of what is going on around them
- ▢ Intense toy interests and frustration or distress when these play habits are interrupted
- ▢ Frequent meltdowns or tantrums over seemingly little things; easily upset
- ▢ Delays and speech and language; makes unusual noises or high-pitched sounds
- ▢ Does not seem to have good safety awareness and will run off in the community
- ▢ Noise sensitivity or covering their ears in response to noises or too many people
- ▢ Does not have 50 clear and purposeful words by the age of 24 months
- ▢ Hits, bites, or pushes other children at daycare
- ▢ Does their own thing or prefers to play on their own
- ▢ Overly active; busy, climbing, jumping, bouncing, etc.
- ▢ Shy, anxious, does not initiate interactions with other young children appropriately
- ▢ Unusual hand movements or other body mannerisms
- ▢ Looking at objects up close or out of the side of their eye
- ▢ Running back-and-forth in particular pattern that is difficult to interrupt
- ▢ Not consistently engaging in and enjoying simple social games such as peek-a-boo
- ▢ Does not understand how other children play and has difficulty with group games
- ▢ Struggles with competitive activities and does not easily accept losing the game
- ▢ Seems socially awkward and has difficulty making and keeping friends
- ▢ Conversations with others often go off topic or their answers seem out of context
- ▢ Precocious interest in letters and numbers at a very early age; reads words very early
- ▢ Gathers unrelated toys into piles or lines toys up into a line
- ▢ Has difficulty with make-believe play and sees things very literally
- ▢ Does seem to care or show interest in others’ thoughts, feelings, or experiences
- ▢ Pushes, hits or hurts other children and laughs or does not show compassion
- ▢ Does show care when around animals and may hurt them
- ▢ Difficulties with particular clothing or daily routines such as brushing teeth or cutting nails
- ▢ Screams or makes high-pitched noises when very excited or upset
- ▢ Seems different from other children and has developmental delays
This is a list of possible difficulties, but not all of these are present in each child. These are simply some concerns that would make you want to consider a comprehensive assessment for Autism.
