Greeting by waving hi and using simple vocabulary like “Hi” or “Hello” may seem trivial because it is one of the first social mile stones seen in typically developing kids. However, in kids with autism we often see delayed or absent early social greetings.
Lack of greetings (hi/bye)
Autistic children struggle to understand the process of greetings and farewells. They often don't learn to wave “hi” or “bye” or even use the words “hi” and “bye.” However, some do the process but rarely participate in the process or need to be instructed to do so.
Unusual speech.
Children with autism spectrum disorder have good vocabularies but unusual ways of expressing themselves. They may talk in a monotone voice and do not recognize the need to control the volume of their voice, speaking loudly in libraries or movie theaters, for example.
Some autistic children are gestalt language processors. This means that they first start speaking in multi-word “chunks,” or phrases. This is called echolalia. They may repeat what you say right after you say it, called immediate echolalia.
Children with autism can be silent or chatty, bright or intellectually challenged. Their behaviors can range from quirky to aggressive.
Some children with ASD develop language after age 5. “There is a burst of kids in the 6 to 7 age range who do get language,” says Wodka, who currently leads recruitment and research efforts for the SPARK study at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.
Some children with autism may start talking at 12-16 months. Most don't start talking until later. Some will start talking between the ages of 2-3 years. Other children talk even later, and some children never learn to talk.
Of course, autistic individuals laugh when they are happy, or if they find something funny. However, they often laugh to release fear, tension and anxiety. What is very difficult for their parents to comprehend (and accept) is that they might laugh or giggle non-stop when someone is crying.
Level 1 is the mildest, or “highest functioning” form of autism, which includes those who would have previously been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. Individuals with ASD level 1 may have difficulty understanding social cues and may struggle to form and maintain personal relationships.
Some children with autism smile to show they're happy but don't share their enjoyment. Others show little facial expression or have flat affect and rarely smile so you may not know when they're happy.
In the case of vocal stimming (or verbal stimming), the child might make noises such as groaning, grunting, high- pitched screeching, squealing, humming, or repeating random words, words to a familiar song, phrases, or lines from a movie.
Social interaction and communication
not consistently respond to their name being called. not consistently use gestures on their own – for example, they might not wave bye-bye or clap without being asked to, or they might not nod for yes or shake their head for no.
Praise and rewards for appropriate behaviour
Descriptive praise is best for encouraging good behaviour – for example, 'Thank you for staying calm when you didn't win the game'. Many autistic children like praise and want to behave well to get more praise. But some autistic children don't respond to praise.
Just pick a simple one, like “Hi” to begin with. This way your child will not be confused by having many choices and can be more relaxed around greeting. Also, try to use simple waving as a simple demonstration for greeting. Waving hi is a good way of greeting for young children as well as non-verbal kids.
ASD Level 1 – Level 1 ASD is currently the lowest classification.
These children are often notably awkward, and they find nonverbal interaction especially complicated, specifically in situations involving eye contact, sensory sensitivity, spatial awareness, and interpersonal communications.
Autism is very distinct from ADHD, but the core symptoms of ADHD-Combined type, i.e., attention deficit, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, would appear to also be features of autism. ASD and ADHD are neurobiological disorders characterized by similar underlying neuropsychological “deficits”.
Research Shows That Autistic Children Learn From Videos
They've discovered that videos, which can be viewed over and over again, are actually powerful tools for teaching skills, concepts, and even emotional responses.
Many children with autism, even those with high-functioning autism, have difficulty learning to engage in everyday human interaction. They may avoid interactions or eye contact or even resist parental attention, hugs, or cuddling.
They usually prefer to play alone and have challenges working together with others. Various types of therapy are available to help kids with autism and their families to play together and build relationships.
Delayed speech in children can occur for different reasons, some more serious than others. Many who are familiar with signs of autism during childhood development are aware that speech delays are common among autistic children.
The researchers found that, in fact, most of these children did go on to acquire language skills. Nearly half (47 percent) became fluent speakers. Over two-thirds (70 percent) could speak in simple phrases.