{"id":2533,"date":"2025-04-04T07:42:23","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T07:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/2533\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T07:42:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T07:42:23","slug":"im-a-psychologist-parents-often-miss-these-five-signs-of-autism-in-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/2533\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m a psychologist – parents often miss these five signs of autism in children"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Autism Day<\/a> falls on April 2nd each year, and aims to raise awareness of autism, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects around 700,000 children and adults in the UK.<\/p>\n

Autism diagnoses have been on the rise in recent years, with one in 100 children now identified as being autistic. Experts say this uptick is largely due to increased public awareness and better screening tools that help pick up on the condition much earlier.<\/p>\n

If you’re a parent exploring what autism means, the first thing to know is that it\u2019s neither a learning disability or a mental health condition. According to the National Autistic Society<\/a>, autism is a form of neurodivergence, which simply means a person\u2019s brain processes the world differently.<\/p>\n

Being autistic can affect how your little one feels, reacts and interacts with others, and because it exists on a spectrum, each autistic child has a unique combination of characteristics.<\/p>\n

Dr Elena Touroni, a leading psychologist at The Chelsea Psychology Clinic<\/a>, regularly carries out autism assessments as part of her day-to-day work. If you\u2019re reading this and wondering what to look out for, we asked Touroni to share five subtle signs of autism in children that parents often overlook.<\/p>\n

1. Reduced eye contact<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most telling signs of autism? Lack of eye contact. “Children with autism may avoid or struggle to maintain eye contact, which can sometimes make them seem disinterested or withdrawn,” explains Touroni. “But in reality, it\u2019s often due to sensory sensitivities or discomfort with direct social interaction.”<\/p>\n

For many autistic children, eye contact can feel overwhelming, making it easier to focus on conversations without it.<\/p>\n

2. Difficulties socialising<\/strong><\/p>\n

If your child finds it tricky to connect with other children, it doesn\u2019t automatically mean they\u2019re autistic, but it can be a key clue. “Children with autism often struggle to engage with peers or pick up on social cues,” says Touroni. “They might prefer playing alone and find it difficult to grasp the unwritten rules of conversation, like taking turns or reading body language.”<\/p>\n

From a young age, many autistic children also learn to ‘mask’ their symptoms, unconsciously suppressing their natural behaviours to fit in with social norms. Over time, this masking process can lead to overwhelm and anxiety, so it\u2019s worth keeping an eye on your child\u2019s social behaviour, both in groups and one-on-one.<\/p>\n

3. Stimming<\/strong><\/p>\n

Repetitive behaviours, otherwise known as ‘stimming’, can be a source of comfort for autistic children, serving as a self-soothing tool.<\/p>\n

“Repetitive movements or speech, such as hand-flapping, rocking, or repeating certain phrases, are common in children with autism,” notes Touroni. “These behaviours can help manage sensory overload, but they can also hinder development in other areas.”<\/p>\n

The National Autisic Society say that stimming is often very enjoyable for autistic children, and shouldn\u2019t be corrected or stopped, unless it’s causing injury, for example, head-banging or vigorous rocking.<\/p>\n

\"3-4<\/p>\n

Stimming (self-stimulatory behaviour) heps autistic people channel excess energy and self soothe. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

4. Unusual sensory sensitivities<\/strong><\/p>\n

For many autistic children, the world can feel extra loud, bright or overwhelming. “Sensory sensitivities are a common trait, meaning they might be hypersensitive or under-responsive to things like sounds, lights, textures or smells,” explains Touroni.<\/p>\n

“A sudden loud noise or texture might be unbearable, whereas some autistic children may not react much to pain or temperature changes.”<\/p>\n

5. Intense focus on specific interests<\/strong><\/p>\n

From a fairly young age, many autistic people have intense and highly-focused interests. For young children, it could be anything from a favourite cartoon character or type of toy, to dinosaurs, space exploration or cats. “Often, the defining factor is that they\u2019ll display exceptional knowledge or skill in these areas,” says Touroni. “This intense focus can sometimes seem obsessive and might limit their engagement in other activities.”<\/p>\n

If Touroni’s five-point checklist looks or sounds familiar to you, booking an assessment with your child\u2019s GP is an important next step, as a diagnosis can open the door to extra support, like speech and language therapy, which can be invaluable in their early years.<\/p>\n

With an autism diagnosis, schools can also provide specialised \u2018EHCP\u2019 support plans, which put special measures in place for autistic children, like extra time in exams, quiet spaces when they need them and a calm learning environment that doesn\u2019t overstimulate sensory sensitivities.<\/p>\n

Receiving an autism diagnosis can be an emotional experience, but it is nothing to be ashamed of. Despite being misunderstood for decades, society is finally understanding that autistic children and adults have incredible strengths, from deep focus and creativity to innovative thinking and attention to detail. In fact, some of history\u2019s greatest minds are believed to have been autistic, from inventors and artists to entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n

If you need extra support or advice, The National Autistic Society<\/a> has lots of resources available for parents, from guidance on diagnosis to tips for daily life.<\/p>\n

Read more about autism:<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"World Autism Day falls on April 2nd each year, and aims to raise awareness of autism, a neurodevelopmental…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2534,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[663,389,1567,1568,395,105,1566,16,15,1569],"class_list":{"0":"post-2533","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-autism","9":"tag-children","10":"tag-elena-touroni","11":"tag-eye-contact","12":"tag-getty-images","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-national-autistic-society","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-world-autism-day"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114278573233278631","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2533\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}