INTRODUCTION - National Trust

fascinated, at the tip of a hammer and never using it as a hammer; bright, round,
spinning objects are a frequent source of fascination too. They may become obsessed
with unusual sensations - enjoying tastes or textures that unpleasant. Sometimes this
applies even to painful sensations, biting or slapping themselves. They often seem
extremely distressed by their sensations -a loud noise makes them cover their ears,
scream in terror, or have a major panic attack. A bright light may have the same
effect. The wrong sort of “touch” or “taste” may trigger the, same response. For some
children the intensity of a sensation may not need to be very great - the sound that
overcomes them may not have to be very loud, or may be of a certain pitch or rhythm
- so the child seems to be suddenly acting crazy for no obvious reason,
Spinning objects are a frequent source of fascination, but children with these, disorders
very often develop extremely strong interests in other unlikely objects or areas
depending upon their age and intelligence. They may seem obsessed with “garbage”
or “the date” or “shoes-laces” or “the seven times table”. It can be almost impossible
to stop them showing these interests, or moving them on to something else. Almost
all such children have a great difficulty accepting or dealing with change –they need
very strict routines, and can be severely distressed for a long time if even a very
slight part of the days routine is changed. As well as “obsessions” and the need for
sameness, they may show “compulsions” - they just “liave” to perform a particular
act (“touch the door handle three times whenever they see it” or must do a special
order (“left sock on before right”) and become extremely distressed if their expected
routine is not observed.
3. Who can make the diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder ?
While many professionals and others might suspect your child is autistic or has another
pervasive developmental disorder, only a physician or a registered psychologist
can make the diagnosis by law. Even within these groups, only professionals with
appropriate training and experience should diagnose these conditions. Among
physicians, these are likely to be either a child psychiatrist or a developmental,
behavioural paediatrician.
Particularly in mild cases, or with very young children, a wise or professional may
have to express some doubt, and will want to “wait and see” what happens over
time. Remember each child is different and there is no absolute test for these conditions.
4. Will any “tests” be ordered ?
Any young child suspected of having early infantile autism or a severe pervasive
developmental disorder should have some medical investigations to try to identify
of the symptoms, since sometimes these same symptoms or behaviours can be caused
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