HOW TO RECOGNISE AUTISM IN A YOUNG CHILD

My grandson is now four years of age and has been behaving strangely for several years of his young life. We have always put it down to his being spoilt, by his mother in particular. I have raised three of my own children and have never seen this before. He will not greet people, he will hide around the corner when asked to do so. He wants his own way all of the time and throws temper tantrums when he can't get it. He hits out at his mother very vigorously and sometimes hurts her; she had a blue eye a few weeks ago from him punching her. At the school concert, he refused to change into his costume. Went on stage but never joined the singing, instead closed his ears with his hands throughout his time on stage. He has dark rings under his eyes every day; most people think he is just naughty, but he is exceptionally bright, plays computer games very well. Some days he will talk to me, and on others not at all. He hides behind his mother and repeatedly tells her he wants to go.  

[Richard B. Graff, PhD, BCBA-D]

I appreciate you taking the time to write regarding your grandson.  Since your post was titled, "How to recognize autism in a young child", I'm guessing that you are wondering if your grandson may have autism.  I cannot answer that based upon your question, but if there are concerns, the child's mother should discuss this with her pediatrician, and ask if there is anyone in your area who specializes in diagnosing children with autism.

Some behavior problems, in both children with autism and typically developing children, occur because these behaviors become efficient ways for them to get what they want.   For example, you said that has temper tantrums when he cannot have his own way.  What happens when he has a tantrum--does he end up getting what he wants?  If so, the tantrum, although inappropriate from our point of view, becomes an efficient way to get what he wants.  In the short term, giving in to him is the easy way to end the tantrum; in the long run, however, he may learn that tantrumming when he is denied access to a desired item is a great way to get that item!   I think many of us have seen a similar situation in a supermarket, where a parent is pushing their child in the shopping cart, and when they go down the aisle with candy, the child asks for some. The parent says no, and the child begins to tantrum.  Then, the parent gives in, and gives the child the candy, just to stop the tantrum.  Although in the short run the longer tantrum is avoided (which is understandable when others in the store start staring at the parent and tantrumming child), what happens in the long run is that the child leanrs that tantrumming when a request is denied is an efficient way to get what you want--and it may be the MOST efficient way to get what you want!

Other behavior problems can occur because they become efficient ways for children to avoid situations that they do not want to be in.  So, if your grandson is asked to greet someone, and he hides, he has successfully avoided the situation.  My son used to claim that he was sick and could not go to school when he had a test.  This was his way to try to avoid the unpleasant situation.  If I always let him stay home every time this happened, you know what the result would have been--he would always claim to be sick when he had a test.  Why?  Because it worked!   But, by not giving in to him when he did this, he stopped even trying, because the behavior did not work to get what he wanted.  My point is that some behaviors become very efficient ways to avoid unpleasant situations or activities.

If the pediatrician feels that your grandson may have autism, you should try to find a board certified behavior anaylst in your area, who has expertise in the assessment and treatment of childhood behavior problems (you can find one at www.bacb.com).  A skilled behavior analyst may be able to identify exactly why your grandson's behavior problems occur, and provide you with suggestions on how to best deal with these.

I wish you best of luck in the future.