Autism

• Social communication challenges: Difficulty with social cues, conversations, and eye contact. Challenges in understanding and expressing emotions and empathy are common in autism.

• Repetitive Behaviors and Restricted Interests: Repetitive movements like hand-flapping, rocking, or spinning. Rigid adherence to routines, distress with changes, and intense focus on narrow interests are common in autism.

• Communication Challenges: Delayed or no speech, echolalia, and difficulty understanding and using nonverbal communication such as gestures, facial expressions.

• Sensory Sensitivities: Sensory sensitivities involve heightened or diminished responses to stimuli like lights, sounds, textures, tastes, or smells. Individuals may react strongly, covering ears to loud noises, avoiding certain textures, or seeking sensory stimulation like spinning objects or quiet environments.

• Motor Coordination Difficulties: Poor coordination, balance, and motor skills, including difficulty with running, jumping, catching, throwing, and exhibiting unusual postures or toe-walking.

• Transitioning difficulties: Resistance to changes, leading to distress, and difficulty transitioning between tasks without support or preparation, often resulting in meltdowns.

• Sleep Disturbances: Sleep problems are common among individuals with ASD including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or having irregular sleep patterns.

• Emotional Regulation Challenges: Difficulties managing emotions, such as anxiety, anger, or frustration, are common among individuals with ASD. They may struggle to understand and express their emotions appropriately.