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High Pitched Screams
Dr. Smith explains that seemingly purposeless screaming can be a form of sensory stimulation for children on the spectrum.
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Hand Flapping
Dr. Smith comments on hand flapping in a child on the spectrum, and considers possible triggers and motivations for this behavior.
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Repetitive Motor Behaviors
Repetitive motor behaviors, a possible warning sign for autism, are shown here quite clearly. While watching a children's television show, Christian K, who is 2 years 9 months old and on the autism spectrum, does various repetitive motor behaviors including walking back and forth, and walking in circles. During these behaviors, he also wriggles and looks at his fingers and vocalizes to himself, other indicators of the repetive, unusual quality of these mannerisms.
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Wells: Then and Now: Repetitive Motor Behaviors
Repetitive motor behaviors can be a warning sign for autism. Wells liked moving his toy cars back and forth and looking at them at an angle to the exclusion of other more productive play activites. Wells' dad explains how Wells has shown vast improvements since therapy. Examples of Wells are shown at ages 2 years 8 months, and 3 years 5 months.
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Risk Alerts Motor Stereotypies
Dr. Fein describes how to distinguish the early physical movements of typically developing children from the motor stereotypies that characterize and are an early risk alert for children with ASD.
Social Communication and Social Interaction
Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history
Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
Non-verbal Communicative Behaviors
Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
- Flattened affect (lack of facial expressions)10
- Inability to follow a point1
- Lack of attention to voice4
- Lack of expressive language17
- Lack of eye contact16
- Lack of gesturing1
- Lack of pointing to request2
- Lack of pointing to show1
- Lack of receptive language2
- Lack of response to name11
- Unusual Point1
Understanding & Maintaining Relationships
Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.
Restricted and Repetitive Patterns of Behavior
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history
Stereotyped Motor Movements and Speech
Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).
Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns or verbal nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat food every day).
Preoccupations -Interests or Objects
Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest).
Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g., apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement).