How do you recognise autism spectrum disorders in a child?

Is my child developing properly?

We suspect autism spectrum disorder - when should we see a specialist?

Dear parents, you often ask us, but also yourself, during consultations at Kids Medic: does my child have an autism spectrum disorder?

You come to us because you yourself are concerned about your child's development and sometimes you are referred by an educational institution. The diagnostic path starts differently and can end just as differently. For it is not always when you come for a consultation or diagnosis that you leave with the one on the autism spectrum.

What is the autism spectrum and how do you recognise it?

The autism spectrum is a disorder that encompasses a range of behaviours. Therefore, one should not raise the alarm and panic if a child does not react to a name once or twice or does not make eye contact in a single situation. Nevertheless, children should be observed and remain vigilant, and if there are any doubts, it is important to speak to a specialist who will clarify any doubts and guide you. The sooner we observe abnormalities in our child's development, the better, of course.

What behaviours might indicate that my child may be on the autism spectrum?

Start by reviewing this list. 👇

💡 Warning signals are:

✅ Lack of eye contact - this term is very misunderstood. And it is about whether the child uses eye contact to communicate, i.e. for example when he needs help does he direct his gaze to the other person.

✅ Delayed speech development - when, after the age of one year, the first words do not appear or the child is approaching his or her third birthday and speech is based on only a few words.

✅ Lack of reaction to one's own name - Often parents say that the child reacts when they call the child by name for a bath - here a note of caution: the child may then not react to the name, but to the command. 

✅ Lack of social skills - The child is unable to play with his/her peers. He plays with children but stays next to them, engages in games that involve running around together rather than interacting with other children.

✅ Repetitive, strange movements mostly in the limbs - are so-called movement stereotypes - e.g. waving hands, pulling on the ear with the hand, walking on tiptoe, bouncing, rocking.

✅ Specific games - e.g. searching only for square pieces from all toys, touching and licking writing on toys, fascination with very patterned materials, e.g. on clothes, on armchairs; spinning all the wheels that are around, arranging toys or other objects always in the same schematic way e.g. row or circle.

✅ Strong interests - For example, a child is only interested in dinosaurs, aeroplanes, military vehicles, space, numbers. It is difficult to have a longer conversation with the child about a subject other than the one that is the object of his or her fascination. The child surrounds himself with objects only related to the chosen subject.

✅ Food selectivity - a child around 2 years of age starts to eat only a few foods of his or her own choosing, does not like to try other foods and explore new tastes.

✅ Hypersensitivity - e.g. a child does not cope with his emotions in the playroom, he acts out after nursery/pre-school, he does not listen to his parents while in the shopping mall.

✅ Reactions inappropriate to the situation - e.g. outbursts of anger in a situation that is new and stressful for the child, shutting down, aggression or self-aggression.

What does an autism spectrum diagnosis look like?

Diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder is a multi-stage process and several specialists should be involved. The gold standard worldwide is considered to be diagnosis using ADOS-2 study. It is worthwhile for the diagnostic centre to have a team that includes:

👉 psychologist and neurologist, and the final diagnosis must be completed by a visit

👉 with a psychiatrist, as only a doctor can confirm or rule out autism spectrum disorder.

Diagnosis of a child's autism spectrum disorder at Kids Medic Centre

🔹1. In our Kids Medic Centre, the diagnosis begins with a visit by the parents to a psychologist who takes an extended history. It is worth taking to such a visit:

👉 all medical records,

👉 therapeutic documentation and

👉 an opinion from the nursery/pre-school about the child's behaviour in the group.

When a parent has doubts about whether a diagnostic process is necessary, he or she can ask the psychologist to observe the child before making an appointment for a diagnosis the ADOS-2 test, in addition, standardised psychological tests are carried out.

🔹2. The next stage is the ADOS-2 study conducted by the authorised and certified diagnosticians: psychologist and neurologist, which concludes with an examination report. 

🔹 3. Once all the documents have been received, an appointment should be made with a psychiatrist who, after observing the child and reviewing the documentation, makes a final diagnosis.

Remember that you can follow the entire path of treatment at Kids Medic. Our experienced team performs a multi-stage examination, including a psychological interview and an ADOS-2 examination and finally the diagnosis is confirmed by a child and adolescent psychiatrist. As a result, everything is done in one place, which does not cause a lot of stress to the child and the whole family, and appointments are not far away.