Autism Spectrum Disorder Testing Portland, OR

Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that typically affects behavior and communication. As Autism is a spectrum disorder, signs and symptoms can range from mild to severe and can look different from person to person. How do you tell if you are undiagnosed autistic? While severe forms of autism are typically diagnosed in the first two years of a child’s life, high-functioning individuals may not receive a diagnosis till further down the line. Those with undiagnosed autism may display symptoms that affect their social interactions, the way they verbally and non-verbally communicate, and how they behave in certain situations or settings so don’t think too much and take your close ones for an Autism Spectrum Disorder testing Portland, OR.

What are the Signs of Autism?

The symptoms of autism may be realized during the first three years of a child’s development. It is just important that such effects or signs are identified early in the game so that intervention may be done immediately. Some of the common indicators of autism include: Some of the common indicators of autism include:

• Doesn’t respond to other people: The specific symptoms vary from child to child, however, a child with autism might not respond to their name, or engage in typical social interactions.

• Avoids eye contact: They may show disinterest in social interaction as they avoid eye contact which is an important sign of social Interactive Language Disorder.

• Prefers to be alone: Children with autism disorder generally avoid playing with other children, and their major preference is isolated play.

• Don’t play “pretend” games: Imaginative play, which means that a child pretends to be something he or she is not or uses an object for something else, may be affected or entirely missing.

• Doesn’t understand emotions: Impairment of emotion understanding in social situations and difficulty in prompts self-awareness as well as awareness of others’ emotions.

• Delayed or absent speech development: Cognitive development may be slow, especially in the area of speech and they might only speak later than others or they may not speak at all. Or they may speak very little, or not speak at all when it comes to verbal communication.

• Repeated words or phrases: Delay in speaking may also be observed as well as a tendency to say the same words or phrases again and again; this is called echolalia.

• Has obsessive interests: Preoccupation with certain subjects or processes, and lack of interest in other activities; this is normally observed.

• Gets upset by minor changes to routine: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms can be manifested when a person prefers a large degree of structure such that minor changes cause distress.

• Hyper or under-responsive to sensory stimulation: They might process sensory inputs in a way alongside different light, color, sound, touch, or temperature; they can be either sought or avoided.

The manifestations can be explained by the fact that early detection of these signs makes it possible to diagnose children with autism at a young age and this is likely to enhance positive prognosis. You should consider contacting healthcare at the first instance if you experience these behaviors in your child.

Autism symptoms vary significantly between individuals. You should make an appointment at Ample Grace Psychiatry for Autism Spectrum Disorder testing if you have any concerns about your child’s behavior. When you start treatment early, you and your child receive the support you need.

Testing/Assessment

Before the appointment, you are required to finish three forms to assess your Autism score.

1. Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale
2. Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)
3. Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)

Treatment

The personnel at Ample Grace Psychiatry start with an assessment and diagnostic check before arriving at a diagnosis. The treatment is typically pharmaceutical alongside a behavior modification therapy commonly referred to as ABA therapy.

Drop us a line today to get the best Autism Spectrum Disorder testing in Portland, OR.