Autism can be a very tricky disorder to diagnose, as it first sets in the child in his early childhood.
Most doctors are apprehensive of labeling a child autistic right away, as autism symptoms are very complex, multifarious and manifest in different ways in different individuals.
To make matters even more complicated, there are people with autism who seem to show no apparent symptoms, but do suffer from this condition all the same.
In spite of all these differences and difficulties, there are a set of symptoms which most people afflicted with autism display.
These common symptoms of autism are as follows: Social behavior The most prominent symptom of autism comes up while the sufferer, either child or adult, is put in a social setup.
The autistic person clearly displays certain abnormal or repetitive types of behavior while interacting and communicating with other people.
Here are some of the most common types of autistic social behavior: Delayed speech or abnormal speech patterns.
Some victims have fantastic language skills, but do not know how to use them in public.
Interestingly, it is seen that children suffering from autism can actually repeat audio or video scripts verbatim, even with the exact tone of voice that the character in the clipping used.
Defective intonation.
The victim might speak either in a dreary monotone or in a high pitched squeak.
Inability to understand body language or common words in slang.
Inability to make and sustain eye contact.
Lack of ability to understand and empathize with other people.
Sensory and fine motor functions Most autistic individuals react either too much or not at all to sensory stimuli such as light and sounds.
While some react extremely to normal sound and lighting, others may not even notice over-bright lights or loud sounds.
As far as motor functions are concerned, not many victims display apparent physical deficiencies.
But some of them have really bad handwriting and poor abilities where the finer motor movements are concerned, such as in athletics or dancing.
Personality traits Though autism has a wide spectrum, victims usually display the following personality traits: Performing repetitive acts, such as being obsessed with a certain type of behavior or being mentally rigid and unbending.
Have hardly any interest that they are passionate about.
Inability to make friends and sustain several long-term friendships at a point of time.
Not interested in speaking too much - prefer minimum verbal interaction.
What is of most interest to Science today is that most autistic people of certain age-groups seem to have similar interests.
For example, younger children afflicted with autism have a tremendous fascination for toy trains, while older children, adolescents and adults have an extreme and marked liking for computers and technology, nature and animals.
Each person has a unique psyche and behavior pattern and so does each autistic individual.
Every person diagnosed with autism behaves differently, shows a different spectrum of the condition and a different set of autism symptoms.
Arriving at the correct diagnosis and treatment alone can help them with their malady.