Child Autism Assessment
Does My Child Have Autism?
The first signs of autism spectrum disorder (or ‘autism), often present during infancy and early childhood. Parents will often recognise developmental delays in areas such as speaking, playing, and interacting with others. In instances where the child may only have mild impairments, some of these signs may not become apparent until they start school.
A late diagnosis can happen when the child is ‘high-functioning’ or is experiencing minimal academic struggle that is not atypical for someone their age. It is often harder to detect autism in girls as they are generally better at copying verbal and non-verbal behaviours. Autism in teenagers may start to reveal itself in the forms of a struggle to build friendships, misreading social cues, a lack of eye contact, regular sensory overload, low self-esteem, and more. Understanding the signs of autism in children will help you know if your child will benefit from a child autism assessment.
Autism Symptoms in Children
The first signs of autism spectrum disorder (or ‘autism’), often present during infancy and early childhood. Parents will often recognise developmental delays in areas such as speaking, playing, and interacting with others. In instances where the child may only have mild impairments, some of these signs may not become apparent until they start school.
A late diagnosis can happen when the child is ‘high-functioning’ or is experiencing minimal academic struggle that is not atypical for someone their age. It is often harder to detect autism in girls as they are generally better at copying verbal and non-verbal behaviours. Autism in teenagers will start to reveal itself in the forms of a struggle to build friendships, misreading social cues, a lack of eye contact, regular sensory overload, low self-esteem, and more. Understanding the signs of autism in children will help you know if your child will benefit from a child autism assessment.
Signs of autism in young children
- Does not always respond to their name
- Avoids eye contact
- Does not smile when you smile at them
- Can become distressed and experience discomfort if they don’t like a certain taste, sound or smell
- Repetitive body movements such as hand flapping, finger licking, and rocking
- Persistent repetition of phrases
- Speaks less than other children of a similar age
Signs of autism in older children
- Difficulty communicating their feelings
- Difficulty understanding what others are feeling or thinking
- Requires a strict routine
- Discomfort around change in routine
- Can develop an obsessive interest in certain topics and activities
- Upset if asked to do something
- Difficulty making friends or prefers to be on their own
- Takes things very literally and may not understand common phrases like ‘break a leg’.
How Do I Get My Child Tested For Autism?
If you have recognised any of the above signs in your child, we recommend you take them for an autism screening. This will not only help determine whether or not your child has autism, but it will also give you and your child access to the tools and therapy needed to help support their development.
Undiagnosed autism can impact how a child develops and learns. In teenagers, undiagnosed autism can significantly impact mental health, ability to form friendships, how they perform at school or work, and how they complete day-to-day tasks.
Contact Us
Our team are experienced in diagnosing autism in teenagers and young children. We will conduct an initial interview with the client and their immediate family to review their developmental history and general demeanour. If we determine the child or teenager is likely to be on the autism spectrum, we will then conduct a further two initial one-hour sessions so we can build a positive rapport with your child. Ultimately, we want your child to feel comfortable during every step of the assessment process. If needed, we can also break the two one-hour sessions into four thirty-minute sessions to prevent the child from feeling overwhelmed.
Once a diagnosis has been reached, we will provide the family with strategies that will help them better understand how to support their child.
If you’d like to know more about our autism testing for children and teenagers, or would like to book an appointment, please fill out our referral form using the button below.
