Autism Screening Quiz

Are you concerned that your baby, toddler, or young child may be showing signs of autism? Autism is a complex, pervasive disorder that is referred to as a developmental disability because it starts before age three (during a child’s developmental period), and causes delays or problems in many different ways in which that child develops or grows. Most of these challenges relate to:

• Communication, both verbal (spoken) and nonverbal (unspoken)
• Social interactions with other people, both physical (such as hugging or holding) and verbal (such as having a conversation)
• Routines or repetitive behaviors, like repeating words or actions over and over, obsessively following routines or schedules for their actions or having very specific ways of arranging their belongings

Does your child have any symptoms of autism?  This autism screening quiz can help you identify signs of autism in your child.  Please check “TRUE” or “FALSE.”

True or False? Your child …

• does not respond to his/her name.
• cannot explain what he/she wants.
• has language skills or speech that is delayed.
• doesn’t follow directions.
• at times, seems to be deaf.
• seems to hear sometimes, but not others.
• doesn’t point or wave bye-bye.
• used to say a few words or babble, but now he/she doesn’t.
• throws intense or violent tantrums.
• has odd movement patterns.
• is hyperactive, uncooperative, or oppositional.
• doesn’t know how to play with toys.
• doesn’t smile when smiled at.
• has poor eye contact.
• gets “stuck” on things over and over and can’t move on to other things.
• seems to prefer to play alone.
• gets things for him/herself only.
• is very independent for his/her age.
• does things “early” compared to other children.
• seems to be in his/her “own world.”
• seems to tune people out.
• is not interested in other children.
• walks on his/her toes.
• shows unusual attachments to toys, objects, or schedules (i.e., always holding a string or having to put socks on before pants).
• spends a lot of time lining things up or putting things in a certain order.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (source)

If you have checked “TRUE” for 10 or more of the items above, your child is exhibiting some of the signs and symptoms that should prompt an evaluation for autism or other communication disorder. Be sure to see your pediatrician for further advice and a more detailed evaluation. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with your child, but rather he or she has some behaviors that are considered ‘red flags,’ signaling that a more in-depth evaluation should be done. Remember to consider your child’s age when considering if each of the signs listed above is really a sign of autism. For example, it is usually normal to walk on your toes before the age of 3 years and some children don’t begin to ‘wave bye-bye’ until they are 15 months old.

We offer FREE  Developmental Screenings, so you can get the answer to all of your questions about your child’s development.  Our pediatric screenings are offered by appointment only and are a convenient way to assess the progression of your child’s development by one of our licensed therapists.