Does not consistently respond to name
Does not readily make eye contact
Short attention span
Tends to become totally absorbed in an activity resulting in detachment from others
Seems “in own world”
Reacts strongly to loud environments
Seems oblivious to loud or startling sounds

As an older or verbal child:

Short attention span
Easily distracted, especially by peripheral noises or activities
Oversensitive to certain sounds
Misinterprets questions or requests
Weak auditory discrimination-confuses similar sounding words orconsonants
Says “what” or asks others to repeat their statements often
Cannot follow complex instructions or instructions with more than one or two steps
Reacts strongly to sounds or music that s/he does not want to hear

Expressive Language (Speaking)
As a young or preverbal child:

Lacks “purposeful” play (manipulates toys but does not pretend or imitate more complex play)
Does not attempt to imitate sounds or actions of others
Does not point
Does not babble
Does not attempt to say words
Does not wave bye-bye
Does not attempt to communicate wants

As an older or verbal child:
Verbalizations are largely “echolallic” (verbatim repetitions of phrases, primarily learned from videos or recordings
Tends not to use words to communicate wants
Voice quality is flat or monotone
Speak hesitantly, lacking flow or rhythm
Sings out of tune
Sentence structure is poor or stereotyped
Vocabulary is weak
Confuses or reverses letters
Cannot read
Reading is difficult, especially reading out loud
Spelling is poor
Dyslexic

Tactile Issues

Avoids getting messy-wants hands washed immediately after messy activity
Reacts strongly to hygiene activities such as brushing teeth, washing or cutting hair, clipping nails
Overly distressed by certain fabrics or damp clothing (a shirt that gets a water spot on it must be changed)
Strongly resists wearing shoes
Seems oblivious to hot or cold
Does not cry when injured
Strongly resists treatment of an injury (the band-aid is worse than the injury)
Very picky eater: avoids certain textures or temperatures of foods
Gags on food

Motor Skills
As a young child:

Constantly in motion
Lacks coordination
Low muscle tone (prefers to flop on the floor, avoids sitting up straight)
Overly cautious
Overly reckless
Does not clap hands
Has difficulty using utensils
Does not attempt to use utensils

As an older child:
Lack of hand preference
Confuses left and right
Does not tend to cross the midline of the body
(reaches with right hand for objects on the right and left hand for objects on the left)
Poor posture; frequent slouching or slumping
Uncoordinated
Fidgety, cannot sit still
Poor sense of rhythm
Craves intense motion such as spinning
Messy handwriting
Cannot get organized
Resists structure

Social Behaviors
As a young child:

Avoids other children
Is oblivious to other children
Tends to avoid groups, preferring to play along

As an older child:
Frustrates easily (reactions are extreme)
Poor self-image, low self-esteem
Does not make friends easily
Does not join in group activities
Tends to withdraw or avoid most social settings
Frequently irritable
Inordinately tired at the end of the school day
Low motivation; uninterested in school or other activities
Immature for age (seems to lack desire to grow up)

Developmental History

Stressful pregnancy
Excessive interventions during pregnancy an/or birth
Difficult birth
Cesarean birth
Early separation from mother
Excessive medical interventions as a newborn or infant
Early emotional trauma (loss of caregiver, etc.)
Adopted as an infant
Adopted as a toddler or older child
Delay in motor development
Delay in language development
Recurring ear infections
Excessive antibiotic use
Negative reactions to vaccinations