A criteria of characteristics must first be given to children who may have autism. This should be done before the child undergoes speech therapy.
- Autistic Disorder Criteria: Social Interaction. An impairment in social interaction and be manifested by at least two of the following behaviors.
a. Use of different non-verbal behaviors like facial expression, eye-to-eye gaze, and body posture.
b. Failure to develop peer relationship appropriate for his developmental level and may seem to have difficulty gaining friends, or relating to other children within his age.
c. Lack of spontaneity to share his emotions and thoughts. This means that he may not share enjoyment, achievements, or interests to other people. Sometimes, the child doesn’t usually bring or point to objects that interest him.
d. Lack of emotional reciprocity that is why he seems not to care about what you do or tell him - Autistic Disorder Criteria: Communication. A communication impairment manifested by one of these:
a. A delay, or even total lack of spoken language development or expressive language. He doesn’t even try to use of compensatory strategies to communicate or other means of communication like gestures.
b. Stereotyped and repetitive use of language actually called idiosyncratic language. In this case, the child keeps on saying what seems to be meaningless.
c. Lack the ability to have different spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate for his developmental level. - Autistic Disorder Criteria: Repetitive And Stereotype Behavior Patterns.Repetitive behavior manifested by having at least one of the following conditions.
a. An encompassing preoccupation with one or more restricted and stereotyped patterns of interests that may seem abnormal in respect to focus and intensity. For example the child can sit and look at the ceiling fan for the whole day, all that matters is the fan.
b. Fetish with routines and rituals. If he passes by a certain way to school, it has to be the same way. If you take a different route, it would agitate him, make him angry and have tantrums.
c. Repetitive behaviors or mannerisms like hand flapping, finger twisting, and complex body movements .
d. Preoccupied with object parts like buttons, screws and other small details.