Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Jeremy Tolmie

       not responding to their name being called, despite having a hearing test showing normal hearing

       rejecting cuddles initiated by a parent or carer (although they may initiate cuddles themselves)

       reacting unusually negatively when asked to do something by someone else

       not being aware of other people's personal space, or being unusually upset by people entering their own personal space

       limited interest in interacting with other people, including children of a similar age

       not enjoying situations other children of their age enjoy

       preferring to play alone, rather than asking others to play with them

       difficulties using and understanding gestures, body language and facial expressions when communicating

       avoiding eye contact

       having repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, or flicking their fingers

       playing with toys in a repetitive or unexpected way, such as lining blocks up in order of size or color, rather than showing imaginative play

       preferring to have a familiar routine and getting very upset if there are changes to this routine

       having a strong like or dislike of certain foods based on the texture or color of the food as much as the taste

       over- or under sensitivity to sensory stimuli, such as sounds, smells, colors and lights

       avoiding using spoken language

       speech that can sound monotonous or flat

       speaking in pre-learned phrases, rather than putting together individual words to form new sentences

       a tendency to dominate conversations with others, focusing on topics that are of particular interest to the child

       taking people's speech literally and finding it difficult to understand sarcasm, metaphors or figures of speech

       reacting very negatively when asked to do something by someone else

       being less aware of other people's personal space, or being very upset by people entering their own personal space

       appearing to have little interest in interacting with other people, including children of a similar age, or having few close friends, despite attempts to form friendships

       not understanding how people usually interact socially, such as greeting people or saying goodbye

       finding it hard to adapt the tone and content of their speech to different social situations – for example, speaking very formally at a party then speaking to total strangers in a familiar way

       not enjoying situations and activities that a lot of children of their age enjoy

       rarely using gestures, body language or facial expressions when communicating

       avoiding eye contact

       repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, or flicking their fingers

       playing in a repetitive or seemingly unimaginative way

       often preferring to play with objects rather than people

       developing a highly specific interest in particular subjects or activities

       preferring to have a familiar routine and getting very upset if there are changes to their normal routine

       having a strong like or dislike of certain foods based on the texture or color of the food as much as the taste

       not always understanding social "rules"

       understanding "personal space" differently

       feeling anxious or stressed in social situations

       finding it hard to judge "appropriate" interactions, such as being either too formal or too familiar

       finding it difficult to make friends and keep them

       lack of eye contact or too much

       speech may have a different stress or pitch

       use of repetition

       asking questions that other people might find inappropriate

       preferring or being reliant on routine

       feeling anxious or stressed at changes that may seem minor to other people

       having particular or very focused interests

       finding rituals helpful

       finding it hard to understand abstract concepts, such as time and choice