Disorders and Disabilities
Autism Spectrum Disorder
From the Centers for Disease Control. Learn the Signs, Act Early.
A child with an ASD might:
- Not respond to their name by 12 months of age
- Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months
- Not play “pretend” games (pretend to “feed” a doll) by 18 months
- Avoid eye contact and want to be alone
- Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings
- Have delayed speech and language skills
- Repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia)
- Give unrelated answers to questions
- Get upset by minor changes
- Have obsessive interests
- Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles
- Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
From the Centers for Disease Control. Learn the Signs, Act Early.
A child with ADHD might:
- have a hard time paying attention
- daydream a lot
- not seem to listen
- be easily distracted from schoolwork or play
- forget things
- be in constant motion or unable to stay seated
- squirm or fidget
- talk too much
- not be able to play quietly
- act and speak without thinking
- have trouble taking turns
- interrupt others
Intellectual Disabilities (formerly Mental Retardation):
From the Centers for Disease Control. Learn the Signs, Act Early.
Children with intellectual disability may:
- sit up, crawl, or walk later than other children
- learn to talk later, or have trouble speaking
- find it hard to remember things
- have trouble understanding social rules
- have trouble seeing the results of their actions
- have trouble solving problems
