Do Autistic Children Hate Hugs?

If you are familiar with autism at all, you may also understand that many autistic children have sensitivities to touch. New research has shown that this common autism symptom could be caused because of developmental delays when the brain is in the womb. Researchers found that the parts of the brain that related to touch developed late in a group of mice that were tested, who also shared the autism symptom of a sensitivity to touch.

However, this is not the main cause of autism, but it is only a piece of the puzzle to take into consideration. This provides greater understanding about how brain development influences autism, but it is not yet the whole picture. Some of the most common symptoms to look out for related to autism are a high sensitivity to movement and touch or being under sensitive to movement, touch, sight, and sound. Autistic children are also often easily distracted, and they may have emotional or social problems. Autistic children may also experience an imbalance in their activity level, where it is unusually high or low. These children may have physical clumsiness, impulsive behavior, and a hard time calming themselves down.

These symptoms can also be closely related to other disorders, such as emotional problems, learning disabilities, and Attention Deficit Disorder. However, much of this is related to one of the main symptoms of autism, which is having a high sensitivity to touch so much so that a child may not even want to be hugged. This in itself is not a sole symptom of autism whatsoever, but it backs up the research in showing that it is a piece of the puzzle. Autism research has not yet advanced to discover the cause of the condition, but studies are continuing to try to find the root issue, such as the study above that linked a slow brain development to a sensitivity to touch in mice.

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Autism Symptom Checklist

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Autism Symptom Checklist - The Importance of Keeping an Autism Symptoms Checklist

By: Autism Advisor

Autism Symptom Checklist

Autism is a neurological disorder that may lead to drastic damage at behavioral, communication and social interactions level. Usually verified during the first periods of life, autism is believed to be a serious condition the present determines abnormalities in the development of children. Autism Symptom Checklist

The above all autism symptoms can sometimes be observed at birth. However, the presence of these kinds of a disorder is typically shown later, at ages virtually one or two years. Children with autism may encounters milder forms of the disorder, or, on the contrary, they may be affected by a large amount of severe forms of autism. Autism is a disorder that affects the way people relate to others, perceive and express feelings, communicate with other people, behave and adapt to new situations.

At the first sight, a person who suffers from autism appears to be normal and in fact, autistic people aren’t very different from people not affected by the disorder. Some autistic people have average and above average IQ’s, and the disorder affects people regardless of their intelligence level. People with autism usually focus their intelligence towards working with numbers, excelling in areas like mathematics. Despite the fact that many autistic people are very intelligent, they are unable to express themselves or to properly relate to other people. They usually have low emotional intelligence and behaviors targeted towards the self. Parents suspecting that their children might be affected by autism should pay careful attention to autism symptoms.

If autism symptoms are spotted soon, the damage done by the disorder can be controlled. Autistic children that receive the appropriate treatment, special care and attention, are less likely to develop severe forms of the disorder. Therefore, speed is vital in detecting the first autism symptoms. Parents that notice abnormalities in the behavior of their children should consider keeping track of autism symptoms with the help an autism symptoms checklist. It is best to keep an autism symptom checklist and to verify the responsiveness of children earlier than the age of two years, in order to be able to intervene in the development of the disorder. Autism Symptom Checklist

Here is an autism symptoms checklist presenting the most common autism symptoms to small children and babies:

- inappropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills;

- strong resistance to environmental and behavioral change (autistic children don’t let people interfere with their routine, engaging in repetitive, stereotype behaviors and activities; they also have low adaptability to new situations);

- hyper-activity or hypo-activity (autistic children usually have extreme behaviors; they are either very active, being difficult to calm down, or passive, avoiding any interactions and showing little responsiveness to stimuli);

- inability to understand and act in the presence of danger (autistic children usually don’t seem to be aware of potential dangers);

- poor imitational skills (inability of imitating simple gestures or facial expressions);

- low responsiveness to the hearing of their own name;

- difficulties in social interactions, avoidance of making eye contact with people;

- the tendency of engaging in activities and behaviors that may result in self-harm (banging their heads against their cribs, excessively scratching their skin);

- poor emphatic skills (children with autism experience difficulties in relating with other people; they also can’t express their compassion or understanding to people in distress).

These autism symptoms presented above are the most common signs of abnormalities that children with the disorder might present and it is very important to spot them as soon as possible. Autism Symptom Checklist

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A Mother's Take On Vaccines

Michelle Turner of Movement Lesson and Navigating Disabilities.com is the expert when it comes to shot regression. After her son Graham received a vaccine at the age of 13mos. he immediately went from a child developmentally on track, to years of delays in speech, sight and muscle tone. Here are the key signs of what she says parents must look for:



1. Non-responsive - A healthy child starts to look if you say 'Where's Daddy? Where's the ball?" Suddenly you find yourself repeating it or saying it louder. Needing to touch or prompt your child to get their attention.



2. Staring - Babies and toddlers work the room. You don't loose a child into a good TV show until they're a few years older. If they seem like they're zoning out or loosing track of what they are doing or obsessing over one item for a length of time.



3. Sensory & Touch - Babies and toddlers like to explore there environment. If they once enjoyed food & getting messy now the suddenly have fear of smells, messes, touch and/or sounds.



4. Fear - Does your child suddenly have fears? Does the child suddenly cling to a parent or have separation anxiety? Lost a sense of calm or peace that they previously had?



5. Slouching - babies and toddlers with a healthy nervous system don't slouch. Your child might suddenly seem heavy to pick up or carry around. They're not 'laid back' or easy going. Young children should be curious about the world around them.


I conducted an email interview with Michelle. Here are the questions and answers:

1. If a parent thinks that vaccines have had a negative affect on their child, what should be their next step?


There is a big argument from parents that vaccines cause Autism. What parents and professionals don’t understand is that you don’t get the shot and have Autism the next day. The first stage is the trauma to the system. The second stage is the developmental delays that start to occur. Then the child is old enough and delayed enough to qualify for an Autism diagnosis.



The first thing that a parent must realize, sometimes over the advise of their pediatrician, friends or family, is that the child can’t recover from that trauma on their own. The initial reaction is to think that the child is sick and will recover. Within a few weeks, calls need to be made to early intervention, or get a referral to a physical therapist, occupational therapist or Anat Baniel Method practitioner, along with follow-up with specialists. Taking the steps to find what works for their child, another key factor, to help the child develop.



This is the main reason Autism is a spectrum. To change the trajectory of a child’s life in mid development makes that child unique or their own flavor of Autism. There will never be one way to get a child to mainstream. This will be hard on a federal level and in school systems who will have the brunt of working with this epidemic.


2. What do you think needs to be done to prevent this from happening to so many children?



I can’t say that we shouldn’t vaccinate. I would like to ask if we can take a step back. Can we give only one vaccine at a time? Can a few vaccines be moved to a time where the child is older and their system is stronger to handle the dose? HIB and MMR are the two vaccines that seem to be in question by so many. Can we go back to single dose MMR for five years?

3. Do you think that there is a way to recover from development delays that are believed to be caused by vaccines? If so, what?



Yes I do. I believe that early intervention is just that. I had a child that has PDD/NOS. I was already in the system when my second son had a vaccine reaction. There were therapists in my home that told me that I had a problem. My son’s preschool teacher saw me holding my son and told me to go to a doctor that day. Even with all of that, it was five months from the vaccine to getting evaluated by early intervention and getting actual services. My son didn’t get an ‘Autism’ diagnose until he was almost three. That was a year and a half later. If I had waited until the diagnosis until starting services, I would have missed two years of his life. This is what is happening to too many children.



My son started preschool at the Foundation for the Blind. He started services at 18 months and at 28 months started with Anat Baniel Method (I am now a practitioner). Graham is in mainstream first grade. He goes to resource room for reading and writing comprehension. Graham has a full Autism diagnosis. I know that he would have been self-contained with hardly a future had I waited until the diagnosis to get started. 0-5 years of age is crucial to the development of any child. With my work, I can do a well baby check up and see concerns at weeks old. Are current thoughts are “We’ll just wait and see.” “He’ll grow out of it.” “She’ll catch-up.” A few lessons in infants stages and redirect having to do years of lessons by waiting a few short years.

4. The CDC denies that vaccines play a role in autism. What is your response to this?



I’m sending you pictures of Graham before and after his HIB vaccines at 13 months. The CDC doesn’t know about Graham and thousands of other children. I lost my son on that day. He got HIB (haemophilus influenzae) and that wasn’t diagnosed until he was 4. He now has no immune system because he had a massive infection for 3 years. No doctor has reported him to the CDC.



Also, as I’ve mentioned above, it’s the trauma to the system that changes the child’s life to develop differently and blossom into Autism. As scientists, they are looking for vaccine=autism. I see it as vaccine=development=autism.



The CDC also has a conflict. It is their position to make vaccines safe. It’s also their position to get everyone vaccinated. How do you have the same agency doing both jobs? Where is the check point?

The Basic Symptoms of Autism

Autism is a diagnosable disorder that develops in children, but many of the symptoms are quite individual to each child. Many times autism can be diagnosed by a delay in development, or children that develop autism can also start to lose their language and social skills.

If you are a parent concerned with the development of your child, here are many of the basic symptoms of autism:

• Difficulty in language skills.
• Inappropriate social responses, like resistance to touch, limited eye contact, and lack of focus.
• Having a difficult time playing with other children.
• Having difficulty understanding feelings.
• Very hyperactive or passive behavior.
• Requiring a very structured routine to feel safe.
• A lack of response to heat or cold.
• No impulses or fear of danger.
• A strong attachment to objects, like strings or toys.

Of course, all of these symptoms are basic and could have to do with other childhood disabilities, although they are all also related to autism. It is important to contact your doctor if your child does not respond to hugging or cuddling and has difficulty socially interacting with other people. It is also necessary to have concern if your child is roughly a year and a half old and is having a difficult time communicating or using words. Other warning signs include your child using repetitive behavior, like continually closing or opening doors or spinning a toy.

For any of these symptoms, it is important to consult with your doctor right away about the development of your child. A child with autism is trying their best to decipher the chaos around them, which is why many of these symptoms occur. When you understand how to deal with your child after being diagnosed with autism, it will give you the opportunity to interact based on many of these symptoms to stop a number of problems before they start.

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