Symptoms of autism

The only way to cure from it is to become conscious of it. Most of the mental disorders, I believe, can be cured by being conscious about them.

• cannot explain what he/she wants.
• language skills are slow to develop or speech is delayed.
• doesn't follow directions.
• seems to hear sometimes, but not other times.
• used to say a few words or babble, but now he/she doesn't.
• throws intense or violent tantrums.
• has odd movement patterns.
• is overly active, uncooperative, or resistant.
• doesn't know how to play with toys.
• has poor eye contact.
• gets "stuck" doing the same things over and over and can't move on to other things.
• seems to prefer to play alone.
• gets things for him/herself only.
• is very independent for his/her age.
• does things "early" compared to other children.
• seems to be in his/her "own world."
• seems to tune people out.
• is not interested in other children.
• walks on his/her toes.
• shows unusual attachments to toys, objects, or schedules (i.e., always holding a string or having to put socks on before pants).
• spends a lot of time lining things up or putting things in a certain order.
• unconcerned about dangers around him/her
  
• dislikes playing pretend.
• seem to have tremendous difficulty learning to engage in everyday human interaction.
• appear to lack a "theory of mind".
• Making friends in real life and maintaining those friendships often proves to be difficult.
• exhibit poorly modulated behaviors
• increased levels of self-stimulatory behavior, self-injury, or extensive withdrawal in overwhelming situations.
• oversensitivity or under reactivity to touch, movement, sights, or sounds.
• physical clumsiness or carelessness; poor body awareness; a tendency to be easily distracted; impulsive physical or verbal behavior;
• difficulty learning new movements; difficulty in making transitions from one situation to another;
• social and/or emotional problems;
• specific learning difficulties/delays in academic achievement.
• develop obsessions or routines around foods, restricting what is eaten to certain colors, textures or types of food; alternatively they may obsessively avoid certain foods with similar characteristics.
• Communication difficulties may contribute to autistic people becoming socially anxious or depressed or prone to self-injurious behaviors.
• A slight change in the timing, format or route of a routine or trip can be extremely disturbing to them.
• Autistics sometimes have persistent, intense preoccupations. For example, the child might be obsessed with learning all about computers, television programs, lighthouses or virtually any other topic. Some may repeat words from movies and watch certain bits over and over again. Repetitive behaviors can also extend into the spoken word; perseveration of a single word or phrase can also become a part of the child's daily routine.