Autism spectrum disorder, according to the CDC, covers "a wide range of behavior and abilities." Children who have minor autism have a lesser form of the disorder, but their social skills, language and behavior are still different from normal children. Autism symptoms start to surface during early childhood, such as around age three.
Spectrum
The symptoms of autism vary from child to child. According to the CDC, six different factors attribute to the symptoms, with a range within each. In an autistic child, measured intelligence ranges from severely impaired to gifted; social interaction ranges from aloof to passive to active but odd; communication ranges from nonverbal to verbal; behavior ranges from intense to mild; sensory ranges from hyposensitive to hypersensitive; and motor ranges from uncoordinated to coordinated.
Social Skills
Social skills of a minor autistic child will not be as severe as some autistic children; however, some social interactions can be noticeable different. According to the Mayo Clinic, social skill signs of autism are that your child fails to respond to her name, she has poor eye contact, she appears to not hear you, she resists physical contact like cuddling and hugging, she appears to be unaware of others' feelings and she retreats to her own world.
Language
Developing language skills in a minor autistic child may be further behind other children. According to the Mayo Clinic, language signs of autism are that your child starts to talk later, he loses previously acquired language, speaks in an abnormal tone or rhythm and he cannot start or keep a conversation going.
Behavior
A minor autistic child will also have some abnormal behavior patterns. According to the Mayo Clinic, behavior signs of minor autism are that your child performs repetitive movements, she develops specific routine or rituals and becomes disturbed at any changes to these rituals, she moves constantly and she is fascinated by parts of an object.
