Symptoms of autism can be observed in some children within the first few months after birth. In some children, the condition may progress without making itself known until the age of 2 to 3. As a result of the mild severity of the symptoms, this may not be noticed by the parents. A common symptom of 3-year-old autism is that the child does not react to his/her own name. While the symptoms usually manifest themselves after 2 and 3 years of age, they can be noticed by the parents. There are situations such as the child's avoidance of eye contact, lack of social skills and underdevelopment. In addition, the disease is diagnosed by specialized doctors.
In addition to these, there are cases such as having poor social relations, preferring to play alone instead of playing with other children, having no sense of sharing, disliking physical contact, having poor friendship relations, gaining speech and language skills later than their peers.
In addition, the symptoms of autism at the age of 3 , which are generally seen, can be listed as follows:
- Repetitive hand movements (clapping, clapping)
- Speaking by repeating the words and sounds heard (Echolalia)
- Difficulty in expressing emotions
- Difficulty speaking
- Aggressive behavior and difficult to calm down
- Repeating what others say
- Inverting pronouns (saying you instead of me)
- Lack of sleep habits
- Irregular eating habits
- Obsessive interests
- Sudden anger and crises in routine events that are seen as normal
- No feeling of fear or too much fear
- Abnormal reactions to sounds, smells, tastes and sensations
- Not perceiving the joke and finding it frightening
- Lack of sense of humor
- Speaking flat and without emphasis
- Not using body language or using it very rarely
- Frequent repetition of erratic behaviors
- Irritability when routine habits are interfered with
- Sorting toys or different objects in an orderly way
- Delayed speech and being different from peers
- Aggression and self-harming behaviors (such as skin scratching and puncturing)
- Persistent and recurrent bouts of intense and violent anger
- Inability to use gestures, facial expressions and body language
Children with any of the signs or symptoms listed above can be considered normal.
However, if more than one symptom occurs, autism spectrum disorder should be suspected and specialist support should be sought.
In addition, it is important to be checked by specialist doctors in case children have language skill problems, difficulty in speaking and developmental delays compared to their peers.
Age 3 Autism Behavior Problems
Children with autism spectrum disorder may have some behavioral problems. It is important for parents to be aware of behavioral disorders. These problems can be controlled in a short period of time with early detection of the situation and early initiation of treatment and education.
The most common behavioral pattern encountered in autistic children and behavioral disorders is the child's tendency to harm himself or his environment. In addition to these, there are different situations among 3-year-old autism behavioral problems.
Children may show actions such as biting their own hand, hitting their head on some objects. While they may show aggressive attitudes towards their surroundings, they can take this situation to the extent that they can cause harm. They may also show different behaviors such as slapping, spitting and shouting.
They may become aggressive and show irritable behaviors if they see an obstacle to their daily routine behaviors. There may be many reasons for these behaviors, but they may also be due to psychological or biological reasons.
Children with autism may not want to play with children their own age. They may want to stay away and play games by themselves. They may make repetitive hand movements. These may include clapping their hands, waving their hands back and forth and rotating them.
Parents should be suspicious of such behaviors and try to prevent the situation. In cases where these disorders cannot be prevented, specialist support should be sought. If detected early, these disorders can be prevented by providing necessary and correct trainings.
How should families behave in 3-year-old autism behavioral disorders?
In our article below, you can find the answer to the question of how families should treat the child in 3-year-old autism behavioral disorders .
Since children with autism perceive life differently, approaches and behaviors towards these children should also be different. Family members should be very careful and caring towards children with autism spectrum disorder. The needs of these children should be recognized and their expectations should be met.
In order for these children, who are not in the same situation as their peers in terms of developmental process, to be brought to life and not to feel this difference in their social life, more self-sacrifice should be made. In this case, families have a lot of work to do.
First of all, the child's situation should be accepted and they should be aware of the issue. A special planning should be made for the child. Children with autism do not like the change of any object in their home environment and rooms. For this reason, families should not make constant changes at home.
In addition to these, the things that families should pay attention to in 3-year-old autism behavioral disorders are as follows:
- Instead of repetitive movements, they should be taught simpler movements that they can do
- The child should be communicated with frequently but should not be forced to do so
- It is necessary to encourage the child to talk
- Do not judge when they do not understand a topic, but continue to be patient and caring
- Avoid intense lighting as it may be sensitive to light
- Support and appreciation should be given when they are eager to learn certain subjects and objects
- Children should have frequent health checks
- Authoritarian approach should be avoided
- Punishment should be avoided, as this may increase their anxiety and affect them
- Intense attention, understanding and a warm approach
- Should always be approached with love
Children with autism are very happy to be cared for and loved. The most important thing they need is understanding. For this reason, it is important that first of all, family members should be moderate and understanding, and then the people around them should behave in this way.