While no single autism trait defines autism spectrum disorder (ASD), if your child has several of the following autism traits—and they can't be linked to any other disorder—it might be a good idea to consider an autism screening or evaluation.
This article will discuss how autism traits are expressed and what you should look for if you suspect your child may have autism. It also offers some tips on seeking an evaluation.
When you have an autistic child, there's a good chance you will notice some possible red flags. Your child may have:
Autistic children often have difficulties with speech and language. If they are obvious difficulties, such as a 5-year-old having no spoken language development, they are easy to spot. But autistic children don't fit neatly into categories. For example, an autistic 5-year-old may use plenty of words and even use more words than other children their age.
When doctors determine if a child has autism, they look at a child's communication skills. They carefully consider prosody and pragmatic language. Prosody is the tone, volume, and speed of speech.
Pragmatic language is the way a person participates in conversation. This includes taking turns while speaking, staying on topic, or showing interest in what someone else says.
Autistic children often have challenges with language, but it's not just whether or not they know words. The tenor of speech and the way it flows during communication is important.
Here are some traits that suggest a child has communication skill challenges:
Autistic children interact in unusual ways with objects, toys, and potential playmates. They are most likely to prefer playing alone rather than with other children. They may even demand that playmates interact with them in certain predictable ways.
Play is a fun, flexible activity that people do because they want to do it. Autistic children often engage in inflexible, repetitive play. When they play, it usually does not involve playing pretend.
Autistic children often view the world as something concrete and literal. They may struggle with abstract concepts and using their imagination. Here are just a few examples of the way autistic kids like to play:
Autistic people have a difficult time processing information they receive from their senses (sight, smell, touch, movement, hearing, and vision). This is called a sensory processing disorder.
A sensory processing disorder causes a mismatched reaction to what they experience through their senses. For example, autistic kids may be highly sensitive to taste and sounds.
Bright lights may be overwhelming and certain kinds of touch may feel extremely uncomfortable to an autistic child.
Autistic kids are more likely to have certain specific medical conditions. These co-existing medical conditions include the following:
Co-existing medical and mental health issues are often missed in children because people assume the issues are related to autism. These include epilepsy, injuries, gastrointestinal problems, mood disorders, allergies, and numerous other medical conditions.
Some autistic people may show less common traits, but these traits provide a hint that there may be a developmental issue.
These issues may include:
Some researchers have suggested slightly more than one-third of autistic people meet the definition of savant.
If you've read through this checklist and find that your child seems to show some of these traits, now is the right time to seek an autism evaluation.
Contact your pediatrician and ask for a referral to a clinic, developmental pediatrician, or another specialist. If your pediatrician can't help, consider contacting your school district for suggestions.
You can also seek an evaluation before your pediatrician suggests it. Parents are often the first to notice their child's differences and delays. That's because pediatricians only see children once a year or when the children are sick. They may not have a chance to see what you notice every day.
Consider an autism evaluation if your child displays related traits. While you may discover that your child is not autistic, chances are you've discovered some issues that should be addressed while your child is young.
Autism traits vary in both children and adults. But if your child displays communication difficulties, difficulties in playing with other children, sensory differences, or certain other medical conditions, you should get your child evaluated.
Contact your child's pediatrician to discuss your concerns. If your child is diagnosed with ASD, your pediatrician can connect you with the resources you need to help your child lead a happy, healthy life.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
By Lisa Jo Rudy
Rudy is a writer, consultant, author, and advocate who specializes in autism. Her work has appeared in The New York Times and Autism Parenting Magazine.
Verywell Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Ⓒ 2024 Dotdash Media, Inc. — All rights reserved Verywell Health is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.We and our 100 partners store and/or access information on a device, such as unique IDs in cookies to process personal data. You may accept or manage your choices by clicking below, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, or at any time in the privacy policy page. These choices will be signaled to our partners and will not affect browsing data.
Store and/or access information on a device. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content. Use profiles to select personalised content. Measure advertising performance. Measure content performance. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. Develop and improve services. Use limited data to select content. List of Partners (vendors)