What are the symptoms of autism and how can I tell if my child has it?

Children with autism can find it hard to socialise

(Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

One of the many symptoms of autism is finding your surroundings overwhelming - as highlighted in a new video released by a charity to mark World Autism Day.

The video is shot from the perspective of a young boy with autism as he walks through a shopping centre.

Sights and sounds like someone slurping a drink and the lights of a photo booth prove too much for the child, and he becomes distressed.

Passers-by glance at him disapprovingly, but the boys tells viewers: “I’m not naughty. I’m autistic. And I just get too much information."

Known Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), no two people will experience the condition in the same way. This is why it is described as a spectrum condition. However, there are uniting symptoms.

Most children will be diagnosed with autism by the time they are three, but the condition is sometimes recongnised between the ages of 6 and 12-years-old. In rarer cases, adults can be diagnosed with autism.

Babies with the condition are less likely to babble as they struggle to express themselves.

And as autistic children grow, they will struggle to socialise. They may avoid eye contact and misunderstand facial expressions, gestures and find it hard to read body language.

Due to such symptoms, children with ASD can prefer playing by themselves. Some will prefer the company of children of a different age to their own.

Because of this, those with ASD struggle can find it difficult to develop language skills and can instead copy what others say.

ASD can also influence how a child expresses themselves physically, as they can move their hands when they are distressed or excited.

Other children feel comfortable in an ordered environment, and become upset when their routine is changed.

Autistic people may be over or under sensitive to stimulation such as sound, touch, taste and smell.

Autism also affects a person’s cognitive abilities, with around 70 per cent of children having a non-verbal IQ of 70 or below, with 100 considered the average.

However, Asperger Syndrome is a form of autism linked with average or above average levels of intelligence. Those with this condition have less problems with speech, but may have issues reading language cues.

Autistic people often have other conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, or depression.