Autism characteristics: a checklist for primary school age children

يمكن ان تكون المدرسة بيئة مزدحمة للأطفال. هناك عموما طويلة, أيام غير مهيكله, الكثير من المعلومات اللفظية لمعالجه, الأطفال الآخرين للتنقل التفاعلات مع, نشاط ملعب صاخب للتفاوض ومشاهد مختلفه, الأصوات, الروائح والضوضاء لمعالجه.

For some children – particularly those who are autistic – these experiences can be challenging and sometimes overwhelming.

Some children on the spectrum are often diagnosed during their primary school years, when it becomes more obvious that their communication, social interaction and behavioural characteristics are unique compared to their peers.

Children on the spectrum may find it challenging to make and keep friendships, take part in conversations or find common interests with other children.

A few questions relating to your child’s development in their pre-school years, may have been raised. These questions, either continue from observations or new ones, are about behaviours you are noticing or have been pointed out by other parents or teachers.

But how do you know what ‘typical’ development is, or development that might indicate your child is autistic?

الخصائص

There are a number of characteristics that may make you question if your child could be autistic.

These characteristics cover a range of human behaviour, from social communication and social interaction, to restricted, repetitive behaviours and sensory processing differences.

Note that the information below is just a list of some of the common characteristics of autism. It is unlikely that a child will display all of these characteristics, and it’s important to remember, only a qualified professional can carry out an autism assessment.

قائمه

علامات التواصل الاجتماعي

Children on the spectrum may communicate and interact with others around them differently. Some examples of these characteristics may include:

A tendency to lead conversations in which they are taking part, or not regularly taking turns.
Passionate about sharing information on topics that interest them, any may find it hard to attend to topics that are less interesting to them.
Speaking in a way that is not expected in the context of the conversation, e.g. very formally or very informally, in a monotone, in an accent, etc.
Using little or no speech to communicate with others or relying on others to interpret their sounds, body and facial expressions.
Differently using and responding to tone of voice or non-verbal social cues such as facial expressions and body language in social interactions, for example may often speak quietly, or may often smile, even when upset.
Differences in natural communication styles, preferring more literal language use rather than the use of non-literal language like sarcasm or metaphor, which may be more challenging to understand in context.
Displaying a select range of facial expressions or using facial expressions that are different in the context of what the person is communicating.
Preferring to make little or no eye contact.
Showing a preference for following visual instructions.
Requires additional support to follow instructions that contain more than one or two steps.
Noticing the body’s internal sensations (interoception) and understanding and communicating the related emotions can be challenging. This might look like not recognising hunger cues and appearing to be quickly frustrated.
May not respond consistently to their name or may tend to refer to themselves as ‘you’ or by their name, rather than ‘I’.
Initiating interactions with other children may look and feel different (for example, may hold out a favourite toy to greet a friend rather than saying hi), which can impact the way they develop and maintain friendships with peers.
A tendency to try to lead play when engaging with others.
A preference for spending time with younger children or with adults, rather than with children of the same age.
A difference in play preferences, including a preference for engaging in their own play themes rather than joining in the play themes of others.
Close friendships might look and function differently, due to differences in social interaction.
A strong desire in setting and following rules, whether in the classroom or during play.
Differences in recognising other people’s personal space.

علامات سلوكيه

Children on the spectrum will often display unique or unexpected behaviours. These may include:

The ability to focus intensely on hobbies or activities of interest
Repetitive behaviour, such as arranging objects or toys in a precise, unchanging way.
Repeating words or phrases frequently.
Extreme sensitivity to a range of sensory experiences which can result in the child feeling extremely overwhelmed (an experience called sensory overload), for instance, they may object to wearing clothes made from certain fabrics, hate loud noises, or only eat certain foods based on their texture.
Not responding in an expected way to some adverse sensory experiences, such as heat, cold or pain • Preference for closely following routines and getting upset when plans change, or routines aren’t followed.
Some children may feel anxious or upset when in social situations with which they aren’t familiar.
Requiring additional support to solve problems or apply skills they have learnt in different contexts.
Feeling overwhelmed or upset about going to school, or regularly refusing to go.
Making repetitive body movements, such as hand clapping, hand flapping or rocking, or making noises such as grunts or squeals, or frequently clearing their throat, also known as stimming.
Having preferences for learning and concentrating (for example, standing, moving, fidgeting, gazing away from people).
Sleeping patterns that are irregular, such as staying awake long after bedtime, or waking up frequently during the night.

You may recognise many of the characteristics listed above in your child, or just a few.

It’s only when enough of these characteristics are present – and your child’s health professional has ruled out other possible causes – that your child might be referred for an autism assessment.

إذا كان لديك اي مخاوف ، فمن الأفضل لك الحصول علي مزيد من المعلومات. أفضل مكان للبدء هو مع المهنية الصحية ، مثل الاسره GP أو ممرضه صحة الطفل والاسره.

وسوف تكون قادره علي أحاله طفلك إلى المهنية المناسبة لمزيد من التقييم.

لماذا يجب عليك البحث عن تقييم للتوحد لطفلك ؟

إذا كنت تعتقد ان طفلك قد يكون علي طيف التوحد ، هو قرار شخصي للبحث عن تقييم التوحد.

For some parents it can be emotional identifying that your child may be autistic and can be daunting thinking about the process to get an autism assessment done.

في كثير من الأحيان حسن النية الأصدقاء والاسره هي سريعة ليقول أشياء مثل: ' مجرد اتخاذ الانتظار ورؤية النهج... قد تتغير الأمور مع العمر. من المهم ان نتذكر ان كنت تعرف طفلك الأفضل ، وإذا كان لديك مخاوف ، فمن الأفضل لتبادل هذه مع المهنية المؤهلين لجمع المعلومات لتشكيل القرار الخاص بك.

بعض فوائد السعي إلى تقييم التوحد عاجلا وليس أجلا ، يمكن ان تشمل:

Your child (and you) may receive the help and support you might need or desire earlier.
Your child’s educators at kindy or school, may have a better understanding of your child’s strengths and needs – allowing them to support them more effectively.
Your child’s friends and family friends may have a better understanding of your child’s strengths, needs and behaviours – allowing them to interact and support them more effectively.
Your child may have a greater sense of self-identity if they understand themselves better.
Your child may have increased confidence knowing they are part of a larger group of children on the autism spectrum.

علامات التوحد الاولي وقائمه التحقق في الأطفال في سن المدرسة الابتدائية

البحث عن تقييم

الشروع

إذا كنت تشعر بالقلق إزاء نمو طفلك ، وتريد ان يكون لهم تقييما للتوحد لديك زوجين من الخيارات:

اتصل بجمعيه التوحد في الولاية أو الإقليم للحصول علي معلومات حول التقييمات.
Make an appointment with your GP or family health nurse. They can conduct a screening assessment for autism and if your child shows characteristics of autism they will often then refer them for an assessment. If you do not agree with the outcome of the assessment, you can still refer your child to health professionals with expertise in autism for an assessment.
التحدث إلى المهنية الصحية المؤهلين مع الخبرة في تقييم وتشخيص مرض التوحد.

أين يمكن الحصول علي تقييم

وتتوفر الخدمات الحكومية الممولة والخاصة علي حد سواء. وفي بعض الأحيان ، سيكون هناك وقت انتظار أطول للخدمات الممولة من الحكومة.

يمكنك العثور علي قائمه بمقدمي خدمات دعم التوحد المحلية علي صفحه الموارد الخاصة بنا.

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