What it is:
Autism today is considered a form of neurodivergence, or when a child’s neurotype differs from mainstream. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th ed. (APA, 2013), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects approximately 2% of the U.S. population (Maenner, 2020) and is characterized by (1) difficulties in social communication, and (2) stereotypic, restrictive, or repetitive patterns of behavior. “Neurodevelopmental” means that autism is present since early development and is a life-long condition. “Spectrum Disorder” means that the degree of interference and impairment varies significantly from child to child: some children may be non-speaking, engage in self-injurious behavior, and require 24/7 assistance, whereas others may have average to above average intelligence but have significant difficulties with executive functioning or sensory differences. These differences can lead to many misconceptions about autism.
Autism presents differently in each child, but often has the same underlying themes: differences in social communication (e.g., how they use words and gestures to relate to others), and the presence of some repetitive behaviors, strong interests, sensory differences, preferences for sameness, or rigidity. These differences may impact the child’s functioning in their social, home, or academic life. For some kids, this may look like extreme emotion dysregulation, going from 0-100 quickly. For others, this may look like giftedness paired with little social knowledge or how to interact with same-aged peers. It’s important to note that some of the ways autism is portrayed in the media or on television may not accurately capture what autism looks like for your child.
Does This Sound Familiar?
- My child developed speech on time, or maybe even earlier than expected, but often uses language in a repetitive way, or overly formal.
- My child likes scripting from TV shows, which includes repeating back catch phrases or things they hear from movies, TV, or Youtube.
- My child was slow to develop language, and maybe this was attributed to being in a dual language household, or maybe we were told they would catch up.
- My child uses their hands to flap when they are excited or nervous.
- My child engages in great pretend play, but it is the same story over and over again and insists we play in the same exact way.
- My child does not engage in much pretend play, but loves physical play, including jumping, spinning, crashing, and running. They seem to really seek “rough and tumble” play.
- My toddler is a voracious reader, knew the alphabet by 2 and could read by 3.
- My child does really well with adults but doesn’t seem to have much interest in other kids, like at the playground or at school.
- My toddler is incredibly picky about food textures, tastes, smells, and even what they wear.
- My child does not always respond when I call their name.
- My child elopes or is known as “a runner”.
- My child is very distressed by transitions, especially taking them away from something they enjoy doing, like turning off screens or taking them to school.
- My child loves playing with parts of toys more than the toy itself, such as taking it apart, moving a car wheel back and forth, or making objects spin or bounce.
- My child does not look at me in the face when communicating with me, and I usually have to tap them on the shoulder or physically move them to get their attention
- Parenting this child is just so much harder; my other children never responded this way and I’m at a loss of what strategies to try with my autistic child.
Associated Concerns:
Many autistic children have co-occurring concerns that may be targets for treatment.
Empirically Supported Treatments at TAP:
Any of our specialty therapy services can be adapted to be neurodiversity-affirming. Below you can find a list of our empirically supported assessment services or those treatments that can be adapted (if needed) to incorporate neurotype. Click to learn more!