What is ASD?
ASD relates to three key areas, often known as the “triad of limitations”:
Social Interaction
This includes difficulty with social relationships, an attitude of indifference towards others, a tendency towards isolation, and more.
Social Communication
This includes challenges with both verbal and nonverbal communication, such as not understanding common gestures, facial expressions, tones of voice, etc.
Imagination
This includes rigid and repetitive behaviors, an inability to think and behave flexibly, and difficulty in developing interpersonal play and imagination.
Early Signs of Autism
Unsure if your young child is showing symptoms of ASD? Autism becomes apparent in infancy and early childhood, usually around 14-18 months of age. Symptoms include:
• Being abnormally quiet and undemanding
• Not responding to affection
• Not making eye contact
• Not responding to familiar voices
• Not showing happiness
• Not using basic gestures of communication
• Being delayed in speech
Early intervention really does make a big difference, so if you suspect that your infant or young child has signs of autism, you should get help as soon as possible.
What Causes Autism?
No one quite knows for sure, despite decades of research. So far, research has shown possible genetic factors as well as various conditions affecting early brain development. Medical professionals and researchers consider it to be a neurobiological condition.
We do know that autism is NOT caused by bad parenting, so we strongly encourage parents to look past any guilt they may feel. We hope that further research will shed more light on the actual causes of ASD.