Tips for Parents and Teachers for Early Identification of Children with 

Autism Spectrum Disorder

April month is widely known as Autism Awareness Month and World Autism Awareness Day is celebrated on 2nd April of every year. On this occasion, it is the responsibility of healthcare professionals to spread awareness about autism, especially when the occurrence of the condition has increased manifold in recent years. With an increasing population in Oman, it is anticipated that the number of children with special needs will also rise. Autism, also referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental disability with persistent impairments in social interaction, restricted interests and repetitive behaviours which can lead to an array of difficulties such as socialisation, communication and participation in day-to-day activities. It is a lifelong disorder with varying degrees of impairment in functioning. According to the Centre for Disease Control in 2016, it was estimated that 1 in 54 children aged eight years was identified with ASD whereas in 2018 it increased to 1in 44 and in 2020 it became 1 in 36 children. There is a continuous trend of increase in children with ASD which is alarming. Early identification of children with autism facilitates early and intensive rehabilitation programs involving occupational therapists, speech therapists, psychologists, and various other healthcare professionals, which yields a better outcome and improved quality of life for children with autism. Here are a few tips for parents and teachers for early identification. 

• Pay attention to eye contact: Children with autism often struggle to maintain eye contact during conversations.

• Observe the response to name-calling: Typically, these children may not respond when called by their name.

• Observe speech: These children may not speak at all or experience a delay in speech development, or they may lose the previous ability to communicate with words or sentences. 

• Watch how they play: They prefer to play alone and seem to be in their world.

• Ask questions: children with autism usually have difficulty in understanding basic, simple questions.

• Look for their movement patterns: Typically, these children perform repetitive movements such as rocking, spinning or flapping their hands.

• Check their food choices: They often have specific food preferences eat only a few types of food and may avoid foods with certain textures.  

If you have noticed the above-mentioned features in your child as a parent, or in your kindergarten classroom as a teacher, it is important to consult a paediatrician or any other healthcare professional with expertise in this field. Early identification of at-risk children is necessary for good recovery among children with autism.