Autism in children: signs, developmental characteristics, and how to help your child

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a condition in which a child's developmental characteristics may affect communication, language, social interaction, behavior, play, sensory responses, and daily living skills.

But behind one diagnosis there can be completely different children.

One child doesn't speak at all. Another knows dozens or even hundreds of words but barely uses them to communicate. One avoids eye contact and avoids eye contact. Another makes eye contact and hugs their parents, but struggles with understanding speech, playing together, or interacting with other children.

This is why it is important to look not only at the diagnosis of autism, but at the child’s specific difficulties and his development as a whole.

🧩 How can autism manifest itself in a child?

Parents often notice the first peculiarities at an early age.

Reasons to pay attention to a child’s development may include:

• the child rarely responds to his name;
• looks little at a person during communication;
• does not use or rarely uses the pointing gesture;
• does not show interesting objects to parents;
• does not try to attract the adult's attention to what interests him;
• does not understand part of the speech addressed to him;
• speech appears late or is absent;
• the child repeats words and phrases he hears, but rarely uses them independently;
• knows the words, but does not use them to communicate with parents;
• prefers to play alone;
• has difficulty interacting with other children;
• repeats the same actions;
• has difficulty accepting changes to the usual routine;
• reacts unusually to sounds, touch, smells, clothing, or certain foods;
• has a very limited diet;
• has difficulty sleeping, toileting, or performing household tasks.

The presence of one or more signs does not in itself mean that a child has autism . A comprehensive developmental assessment is necessary.

🗣️ If a child doesn’t speak, does it necessarily mean autism?

No.

Lack of speech or delayed speech development can be observed in a variety of developmental conditions. Therefore, relying solely on word count is incorrect.

It is much more important to see how the child communicates even without speech.

Does he look at his mother when he needs something? Does he point? Does he bring an interesting object? Does he try to share his joy with his parents? Does he understand simple requests? Does he ask for help?

The opposite situation also happens: a child talks a lot, knows numbers, letters, names of animals, repeats phrases from cartoons - but practically does not use speech for real communication.

Therefore, when assessing development, it is not only words that are important, but also contact, understanding of speech, initiative, joint attention and interaction with people.

👀 Why do parents sometimes not notice a problem right away?

Some features become especially noticeable only when the demands on the child increase.

For example, at home, a child may independently reach for water, food, or a favorite toy. Parents feel they understand what's happening perfectly well.

But gradually it becomes noticeable that the child:

• rarely asks with words or gestures;
• leads an adult by the hand instead of speaking;
• doesn't call mom or dad;
• doesn't ask questions;
• does not share impressions;
• has difficulty getting involved in joint activities;
• does not understand more complex instructions;
• rarely takes initiative in communication.

Therefore, the phrase “he understands everything, he just doesn’t say it” does not always describe the situation completely.

🍽️ Why is it important to consider more than just speech when working with a child?

When parents seek help, their main request is often speech:

"When will he speak?"

But a child's development cannot be reduced only to the emergence of words.

If a child sleeps poorly, eats multiple foods, constantly experiences digestive difficulties, cannot sit still at the table, has difficulty paying attention to a person, or does not understand speech, working solely on pronunciation may not solve the underlying problem.

Therefore, in LTP® the work is carried out in stages.

The goal is not to achieve a single skill at any cost, but to consistently create conditions that make it easier for the child to learn, interact with people, and master new skills.

🔵 How does the LTP® program work?

LTP® — Levit Therapeutic Principles — is a proprietary program from Dr. Levit Clinic that teaches parents how to work consistently with their child under the guidance of specialists.

The main program is conducted remotely , so families can participate regardless of their country of residence.

The work does not begin with a trip to Israel or with craniocerebral stimulation.

It starts with the preparatory stages.

1️⃣ Nutritional stabilization

Many children with special needs have a very limited diet.

The child can only eat pasta, bread, dairy products, sweets, or a few familiar dishes. Attempts to offer other foods result in refusal, screaming, or the child choosing not to eat anything at all.

Therefore, the first stage of LTP® is working with nutrition.

Parents receive recommendations on how to organize a diet and step-by-step work with food selectivity.

The goal of this stage is to gradually form a more stable and varied diet for the child.

2️⃣ Vitamin therapy

The next stage is carried out individually, taking into account the child’s characteristics and the recommendations of specialists.

Nutrition and subsequent steps are viewed as parts of one sequential program, rather than as separate, unrelated procedures.

3️⃣ Psychotherapeutic Consulting LTP®

After the preparatory stages, systematic work on skill development begins.

Depending on the initial situation, attention may be directed to:

• understanding of addressed speech;
• contact with an adult;
• joint attention;
• fulfillment of requests;
• proactive communication;
• use of gestures;
• the emergence and development of speech;
• game;
• interaction with other people;
• household skills;
• independence;
• transfer of acquired skills into everyday life.

Parents receive assignments, complete them at home, and send videos to specialists for review.

This allows you to work with your child not only for a few hours in a specialist’s office, but also directly in his or her everyday life.

🧠 Where is cranio-cerebral stimulation in the program?

Craniocerebral stimulation has historically been one of the areas of work at Dr. Levit Clinic, but it is not the first step in the LTP® program and is not required for every child.

The term itself comes from the words:

cranio — skull;
cerebrum — brain.

The procedure is performed in person by a specialist. Its suitability is considered on an individual basis after the child has been assessed and the necessary preparatory steps have been completed.

The child must be prepared for the procedure and be able to tolerate it calmly.

Therefore, the family does not need to come to Israel to start LTP®.

The main work begins remotely.

In some cases, after preparation, the specialist may recommend in-person work. The doctor sees patients not only in Israel: mobile appointments are also held in various countries, including Germany, the USA, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and elsewhere. The geography of appointments depends on the current schedule.

🌍 How can I work with my child remotely?

This is one of the frequently asked questions from parents.

But the program's goal is not for a specialist to work with a child through a screen several times a week.

Specialists train parents.

It is the parents who are with the child every day: during meals, games, walks, dressing, bathing, communication and ordinary everyday situations.

Therefore, skills are practiced where they really need to be used – in the child’s everyday life.

Parents receive instructions, complete assignments, film required portions of the work, and receive feedback from LTP® specialists.

❤️ What is the purpose of the work?

For one family, the first big result is that the child began to calmly try new foods.

For another, he began to fulfill requests for the first time.

For the third, he began to point his finger, ask for help, or call his mother on his own.

Children have different initial skills, so the dynamics cannot be the same.

The work may be aimed at developing:

understanding → contact → joint attention → communication → speech → independence.

Speech is not considered simply as a set of spoken words.

It is important for the child to understand why he needs to contact another person and to use communication independently.

❓Can the result be guaranteed?

No specialist can accurately guarantee a specific outcome for a child's development or predict the exact time when a child will begin to speak.

Children vary in age, initial skills, severity of difficulties, learning ability, and many other factors.

Therefore, before starting the program, it is important to thoroughly analyze the specific situation of the child.

📋 Where to start?

If you notice that your child:

• does not speak or speaks significantly less than peers;
• knows words, but hardly uses them to communicate;
• poorly understands spoken language;
• rarely responds to name;
• has little interest in interaction;
• has difficulty eating;
• has pronounced food selectivity;
• has difficulty mastering everyday skills;
• or he has already been diagnosed with ASD, speech delay, delayed speech development or other developmental disabilities -

The first step could be a free online consultation with an LTP® specialist.

During the consultation, the specialist will familiarize themselves with the child's situation, answer the parents' questions, and explain what further steps may be appropriate specifically for your case.

❤️ Don't know where to start?

Tell the specialist about your child: what worries you, how he communicates, what he understands, how he eats, sleeps, and what skills have already been developed.

Sign up for a free online LTP® consultation and get the opportunity to thoroughly examine your child's situation.