When should you get your child tested for autism? Most doctors and psychologists test at about two years, but some test as early as eighteen months. Why would you want to test your child? S/he may not be making eye contact or pointing at what s/he needs; s/he may treat other people like furniture in the room; may line up toys; may play with toys the same way all the time; may not tolerate change; may play only with parts of toys such as wheels; may lose words that s/he had before.
If you suspect your child may have autism, it’s worth getting him/her tested. There are so many early interventions available now. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is one popular option, which takes a behavioral approach. Another option not as well known, but very effective, is DIR Floortime, which focuses on communication. Speech therapy can be helpful in addition because it focuses on speech as well as on pragmatic, or social, issues.
Social Issues and Autism
A big marker that someone has autism is social. There are exceptions, of course, but social issues are very very common. Here are some possible reasons for testing that include relationships with peers:
- Few, if any, friends. Benjamin did not have any friends until that terrible day he walked home from school with Nicholas Renz and found Nicholas’s mother dead on the living room carpet. The community judged Benjamin responsible and he was arrested for the crime.
- Difficulty with imaginary play.
- Your child would rather do a solitary activity, such as playing a video game, than have a friend come over. Benjamin did not know what to do when Nicholas came to visit. Eventually they settled on a very old computer game, one so old it couldn’t even be called a video game.
When Benjamin was incarcerated, he made his first real friend. The friendship lasted long after incarceration.
Sensory Issues and Autism
Many children with autism have sensory issues that may include:
Intolerance to certain stimuli, such as:
- Loud noises: Benjamin hated loud noises and would stick his fingers in his ears to try to block them out
- High pitched noises
- Fluorescent lighting
- Aversion to certain textures: Benjamin hated the feel of rough textiles, such as blue jeans or socks with seams in them
- Food intolerance: this can relate to color, texture and/or taste of foods. Benjamin was a “fussy eater.” He was a vegetarian, but ate chicken sometimes, and only certain vegetables, such as frozen peas cooked so that they were still frozen in the middle.
- Aversion to certain smells, such as cleaning products or foods
- The feeling that the shower spray is poking them and hurts. Benjamin calls the shower “stabby..”