The six signs your child may have autism – as it turns out, children wait up to four years for an official diagnosis

Today it was revealed that children in the UK are waiting up to four years to be diagnosed with autism.

Ministers criticized the “harmful” delays as they could prevent children “getting the help they need in other aspects of their lives”.

What does autism look like in children?

Some babies show hints in their first months. For others, the behavior does not become apparent until they are toddlers. Some show no signs at all.

Here, Dr Punit Shah, professor of psychology and expert in neurodiversity from the University of Bath, lists some possible giveaway signals…

Avoid eye contact

Not making eye contact during a conversion is a sign that your child may have autism.

That’s because for many children with autism, avoiding eye contact helps reduce anxiety, explains Dr Shah, who appeared in the first episode of the 2023 BBC docuseries ‘Inside Our Autistic Minds’, presented by Springwatch presenter Chris Packham .

“The reasons why some autistic people avoid eye contact vary and not all autistic people avoid it,” he added. ‘For some who do, it is intended to reduce anxiety, allowing them to cope better in social situations.’

It can also help children with autism better understand a social situation by reading the person’s facial expressions.

Dr. Shah said, “For others, it may help them process other stimuli better, without the complexity of the social information from the eyes and face.”

Sensory sensitivity

Becoming upset by loud noises is a sensory difference often noticeable in children with autism.

These sensory sensitivities can make it difficult to filter out irrelevant sounds, making it difficult not to become uncomfortable or distracted, leading to an overwhelming feeling.

“Generally speaking, autistic children have sensory sensitivities to different things,” Dr. Shah said.

‘This can often be predictable things, such as bright lights and loud noises, but also unusual colors and patterns.

“It really depends on the person.”

Speech problems

Repeating words and phrases, not talking as much as other children and talking ‘at’ others are all signs of autism.

Dr. Shah said: ‘Speech is generally somewhat delayed in autistic children, but not always.

‘Another sign may be repetitive sounds or speech – also called echolalia – which can be a hallmark of autism.’

Taking language very literally is also a communication problem that autistic children often struggle with, according to the NHS.

For example, they may not understand phrases like “break a leg” and instead take it too literally.

Communicating what they want can also prove to be a challenge for some autistic children.

Charity Child Autism UK gives the example of taking an adult to the biscuit tin instead of asking or pointing.

Repetitive behavior

Preferring a very strict daily routine and becoming angry when it changes is a sign of autism in children, the NHS says.

Dr. Shah explains that this need for routine can manifest itself in different ways and can be idiosyncratic, meaning children will have unusual habits or behavior patterns.

However, this does depend on individual interests and needs.

“Normally, this can take the form of a need for a predictable daily routine based on the timing of daily activities,” he said.

Children with autism who like routine and show signs of repetitive behavior may play with the toys or line up items in the same way every time, according to Child Autism UK.

The charity emphasizes that signs can also include “being restrictive in certain activities, such as eating only yellow foods, watching the same program over and over again or only wearing a favorite sweater.”

Repetitive movements

Not only is it a repetitive routine, children with autism can perform the same movements repeatedly.

In young children this may present as flapping their hands, waving their fingers or rocking their body, the NHS says.

However, children may also want to seek out specific visual or auditory experiences, says Child Autism UK.

The charity suggests these could be relative actions, such as turning the wheels of a toy train, looking at the bars of a fence or listening to the theme songs of favorite programmes.

Misunderstanding emotion

According to Child Autism UK, it can be harder for children with autism to make friends and they often choose to play alone.

Some children may also struggle to say how they feel and may not understand what others are feeling, the NHS says.

However, misunderstanding emotions and not seeming to understand what others are thinking or feeling can be a sign of several conditions.

Dr. Shah said: ‘This really depends on the person and can often be related to conditions that overlap with autism, such as alexithymia (or emotional blindness) rather than autism itself.’

This may also present differently in young girls with autism, as they may hide some signs of autism by copying how other children behave and play, the NHS says.

Many girls with autism also seem to handle social situations better, but this may be because they copy other children.

“Although we know there are sex differences in autism, these are not well understood,” Professor Shah said.

‘Because the diagnostic criteria for autism have been shaped mainly by clinical observation of boys, we are still learning what autism ‘looks like’ in girls. This will take time.