Autism Checklist

Individuals with autism usually exhibit at least half of the traits listed below. These symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary in intensity from symptom to symptom. In addition, the behavior usually occurs across many different situations and is consistently inappropriate for their age.

• Difficulty in mixing with other children
• Inappropriate laughing and giggling
• Little or no eye contact
• Apparent insensitivity to pain
• Prefers to be alone; aloof manner
• Spins objects
• Inappropriate attachment to objects
• Noticeable physical overactivity or extreme underactivity
• Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
• Insistence on sameness; resists changes in routine
• No real fear of dangers
• Sustained odd play
• Echolalia (repeating words or phrases in place of normal language)
• May not want cuddling or act cuddly
• Not responsive to verbal cues; acts as deaf
• Difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words
• Tantrums - displays extreme distress for no apparent reason
• Uneven gross/fine motor skills (May not want to kick ball but can stack blocks)

Adapted from the original by Professor Rendle-Short, Brisbane Children's Hospital, University of Queensland, Australia.