About 1 in 33 children has been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the latest figure according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced in 2023. Signs of ASD usually begin during early childhood and typically last throughout a person’s life. We are honoured to have the opportunity to interview Dr. Angel Au to learn more about the signs and symptoms of ASD and her professional advice for parents who are in doubts.
Parents should keep in mind that there are differences between ASD and other disorders with certain overlapping symptoms. For example, Speech Delay: children with speech delay usually show good attempts to communicate their wide variety of intents and will interact with others socially using a variety of non-verbal language: e.g. various flexible gestures (e.g. nodding their heads to indicate “yes”, tapping the person to seek their attention, holding their hand with the palm up to ask for an object); whilst pre-verbal children with ASD usually show fewer “social” desires and adopt only a few basic gestures to communicate their needs (e.g. pulling other’s hands, reaching for the item directly or holding their hands out to be carried). Another example is children that are socially anxious. Whilst social anxiety is not uncommon in children with ASD, children who are only socially anxious present clear social connectedness and communicate their thoughts and feelings adequately in more familiar settings with people they feel comfortable with. As such, a formal evaluation is crucial.
The cause of ASD remains unknown. However, there are certain factors that may increase their risk:
Parents should familiarize themselves more with early childhood development, including not only motor and language development but also the milestones of play and social development. I highly recommend the website of Centres for Disease Control and Prevention （www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism）which provides comprehensive information including checklists, videos, and a lot of other useful resources to professionals and parents about early developmental milestones and symptoms of ASD in young children.
If you suspect your child could have ASD or other developmental problems, contact a General Practitioner for referral to a specialist who is trained to perform in-depth diagnostic assessment for childhood disorders as soon as possible. The Hong Kong Department of Health also provides developmental surveillance for young children.
Since 1994, Autism Partnership has been dedicated to helping children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) reach their fullest potential through high-quality, individualized autism treatment. Founded by clinicians trained under the groundbreaking UCLA Young Autism Project, Autism Partnership was built on decades of clinical experience, research, and a deep belief that children with autism can make […]
When parents begin searching for autism treatment, they often come across the term ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis). But many families may not know where ABA therapy began — or why the origins of a treatment approach still matter today. The modern foundation of evidence-based ABA therapy can be traced back to the UCLA Young Autism […]
In the DSM-V, the diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) describes four behavior symptoms. One of those symptoms is “Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypies, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).” Even though demonstrating these repetitive behaviors is not a requirement for diagnosis, […]
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