What Are The Common Symptoms Of Autism, And Do Individuals Present The Same Set Of Symptoms?

Oct. 23, 2008 -- Question: What are the common symptoms of autism, and do individuals present the same set of symptoms?

Answer: Individuals do not present the same set of symptoms in autism. In fact there's a wide range of possible symptoms and severity that vary from individual to individual. The three important domains of difficulty are difficulty in social relatedness, difficulty in communication and play and difficulty with restricted or limited interests or activities. Children are typically known to be a little bit different by around six months if there's no smiling, nine months if there's no interaction, by 16 months if they're not saying any single words, or by 24 months if they're not using two-word phrases -- there might be cause for concern. And autism is typically diagnosed between age two and three.