Arching of back when someone tries to pick them up.

Attachment to persons and/or "normal" childhood things is not there - i.e., stuffed animal, blanket, etc.   Child is more attached to specific, favorite, often unusual, items and can play with them for hours.

Attention/Focus  - this one is magnified both ways... child has amazing focus for specific things, yet none at all for others.

Biting/Gnawing  - coping mechanism - more objects than other people... although many bite themselves also.

“Child In Motion” Syndrome -Constant running back and forth or jumping –  Again, as with so much in the autistic, this is an issue of “degrees” in terms of “motion” to the point that the child appears hyperactive!

Chronic ear aches- many many children with autism had chronic ear infections under the age of 2, resulting in the use of antibiotics which, unfortunately, just make things worse by killing not only what caused the ear infection but also the healthy bacteria in the digestive tract... bacteria that is needed to keep yeast in check.

Constipation - sign of a problem processing foods properly (most children, however, exhibit the opposite - diarrhea!).

Dark circles under the eyes  - sign of a food intolerance - seems to occur a lot with eating of phenols (in all fruits and vegetables - apples, bananas, red grapes, tomatoes and nuts are the highest phenol foods).

Diarrhea -  sign of a food intolerance and an unhealthy digestive tract.  Autistic children can have massive bouts of diarrhea when they eat a food they can not tolerate or properly digest (such as casein, gluten).  As the child is put on a casein and gluten free diet, diarrhea usually disappears.   It comes back again as yeast die off (as parents learn to kill the yeast and add back the healthy bacteria in the intestine).   When yeast dies, this is manifested as diarrhea (lasting up to 10 or 12 days, but in this case, diarrhea is a GOOD thing since the yeast is dying).   Yeast begins to grow back in a matter of hours when fed those things "it likes"... so, it is a constant battle to keep it in check.  For autistic children, the BRAT protocol for diarrhea (bananas, rice, apples, toast) only masks the problem of autism as these are naturally “binding” foods!

Does not respond to his/her name... even if called dozens of times - yet, hearing loss has been ruled out and parents know their child can hear "other things".

Echolalia - repetition/parroting of words.   I call this "ordering language"... or "reference language"... again, read my book on my web site and you'll see why!  In my opinion, this is a critical coping mechanism in the autistic child and as such, should not be stopped.

Extreme or unusual sensitivity to light and/or sound - child squints a lot or puts hands on ears a lot.

Fascination with captions/credits at the end of a movie (more so than with the movie itself).

Focus on the mouth rather than on the eyes of others.

Gets very upset when VCR is rewinding a movie and you see the images go "backwards" on the tv screen or with any changes in direction.

Hand flapping.

Inappropriate play/odd behaviors - flips toys over to spin wheels rather than pushing a toy car/truck, etc.

Inappropriate use of stairs... don't use "alternate foot, alternate stair" but rather go down one step at a time, with both feet.

Lack of eye contact  (some kids have ok eye contact, but for most kids with autism, there is an inability to make or maintain eye contact... yet, a normal infant is able to do this quite well and is indeed fascinated by the human face).  Autistic children often seem to be "looking through you" rather than at you!

Lack of flexibility in everything - difficulty with changes in direction, can't allow for the "in between" situation... for example, all lights must be on or off, not some on, some off, doors must be completely opened, then closed, no "in betweens", tasks must be completely finished before child can move on to the next thing... can't leave something "unfinished" no matter how small the task.

Lack of pointing with finger.

Lack of sensitivity to pain - child can have a busted eardrum and "not feel it"... not show any pain.   Burns, falling, vaccination needles... none of these things seem to "hurt much" in the autistic child... a normal child has a much lower pain threshold and would have cried under "normal" circumstances.

Lack of social skills  - totally ignores new person, no "hello", "goodbye"... nothing.

Leg banging , body shaking - to get sensory stimulation (i.e., while on a bed).   For these children, it provides a "calming" effect.  Could also be a sign of epilepsy – common in many autistics (especially in adolescence).

Limited food choices due to sensitivity to food textures.   Only eat a few foods all the time.  Usually like "crunchy" type foods or foods high in sugar (feeds the yeast and so they crave it).  Foods they like are usually the ones they should not have (dairy, pastas, breads, sugars).

Loss of language, lack of language development, use of "commands" as language but lack of conversation, and/or use of "nonsense" language.

Low blood sugar and/or abnormal iron levels at birth.

No fear of danger - the autistic child has no concept of "what is dangerous" and, unfortunately, for too many parents, this has resulted in the death of their child.  :o(    The autistic child does not perceive vehicular traffic in the street as a danger, nor is water seen as a danger to them... the autistic child will run into traffic or go deep into water without thinking twice about it!  Because they have no fear of danger, these children also do not know how to "call for help" when in a dangerous situation!

Order - for many autistic kids, theirs is “A World Of Orderã”... things need to be in their place... placed exactly so, tasks need to be completed (not partially done), etc.!

Over-eating - sign of food intolerance and craving of foods they should not have.

Pretend play is not there.  Pretend play can have serious implications for the autistic child and as such, should not be encouraged especially if that involves one’s concept of “self”.  Autistic children should always ONLY be called by their name and never assume the identity of “another” – even in play!

Pushing forehead along the floor with buttock in the air.  Possible sign of neurological distress.

Red cheeks - sign of a food intolerance.

Red ear/s - sign of a food intolerance.  Note: Only one ear may be red, or part of an ear within minutes of eating specific foods.

Refuses to look at self in mirror.

Removes bandages or anything that "doesn't belong" on the skin normally... like a scab.

Screaming/Screeching... up to several hundred times a day.

Seizures - common especially at puberty in the autistic child.

Self Injurious Behavior (SIB) in the form of head banging, self mutilation (biting).

Sense Of Touch Is Heightened.   This can take on many forms in the autistic child.   For example, s/he may not like to have clothes on, or s/he may want specific clothes only.     Some children can't stand being hugged/touched by another person (although some are ok with this particular "sensation"), some don't like specific textures on their hands or skin.   Sensitivity to textures is also seen with foods.

Sensory stimulation seekers - i.e., always jumping, running, or looking for vertigo effect, visual stims, etc.

Sideways glances - child looks from the sides of his eyes, usually moving his/her head as he/she is doing it.

Sniffing – child may exhibit “unexplained sniffing”, perhaps a first attempt at communication with the parent (being sniffed by parent may provide great comfort).

Staring at lights, ceiling fans, anything that spins or provides a visual "stimulation"  - something that provides a trance-like stimulation for eye, much like vertigo does for the body.

Tantrums/Violent Outbursts that seem to come from nowhere... child is easily provoked or upset.

The "loner syndrome" - child likes to play alone... for hours on end... no interest in socializing with other children.

The "perfect baby" or "horrible baby" syndrome - again, the extremes are what to look for here.

Toilet flushing - fascination with this activity, flushing 10 - 20 times at once is another possible sign of a problem with autism.

Waking up at night - many autistic children wake up 2 or 3 times a night (some parents report children waking up to 10 times a night), often screaming and inconsolable and not wanting to be held.  This is not normal.   A child should sleep through the night without problems.

Walking on toes.

Yeast infections - these are usually dismissed as simply "diaper rash".   A sure sign of a yeast infection is a red circle around the anus.   Yeast infections are probably the No. 1 issue for autistic kids as yeast overtakes the intestines and kills the healthy bacteria.   Usually, should have 80% healthy bacteria, 20% yeast in a healthy child... in the autistic, these figures are reversed and often lead to a condition known as "leaky gut".   Leaky gut occurs when the yeast bores holes through the intestinal wall and allows undigested proteins to pass through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream.   Casein (dairy protein), gluten (grain protein) and phenols (found in all fruits and vegetables) are the worse "offenders" for the autistic child.   Casein and gluten have been shown to provide a natural opiate effect (drug induced state) in the autistic child.  So, for them, "normal foods" are producing a "drug-like" high!