Characteristics of Autistic Children

Autistic children display many types of unusual behavior. The following are some of the most common characteristics of Autistic children.

• no speech
• minimal verbalization
• difficult to express needs
  
• delayed in speech development
• inappropriate laughing or giggling
  
• echolalia
• lack of interaction with peers
• low eye contact
• do not respond to people
• flapping hands
• flicking or spinning objects
• running/walking in circles
• spinning
• walking on tiptoes
• couldn't tolerate loud sounds
• dislike being touched
• extreme behavior
• dislike food
• aggressive behavior to others
• lack of toy play skills
• only play with one toy
  
• extreme rigidity
• dislike changing the position of objects
• enjoy arranging objects in a row
• repetitive behavior
• self-injury behavior
• insensitive to pain
• no fear for danger
  

I found this very useful chart from http://www.elainechen.com that briefly explain the characteristics of autistic children. It summarizes the characteristics of autistic kids that is easy to identify.