{"id":1897,"date":"2023-03-23T00:27:34","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T23:27:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autismejongekind.nl\/?page_id=1897"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T09:34:10","slug":"step-1-understanding-autism-in-your-child","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.autismejongekind.nl\/en\/autisme-bij-kinderen-informatie-voor-ouders\/stappenplan-bij-een-vermoeden-van-autisme\/stap-1-ass-bij-je-kind-begrijpen\/","title":{"rendered":"Step 1: Understanding autism (in your child)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>If you have been told that your child is likely to have autism (ASD), you may want to know how to best support your child and how to stimulate their development. It is therefore important to first understand what autism is and how it can present in young children. This will also help you better understand how autism affects your child.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>What is autism (ASD)?<\/h2>\n<p>The brains of people with autism work differently. They process information in a different way and that often leads to unexpected and unusual reactions.<\/p>\n<p><em>From the outside<\/em>, meaning in a person\u2019s behaviour, autism can be recognised by differences in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Entering and understanding social situations<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Communication<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Flexibility in behaviour or interests<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Motor stereotypies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>On the inside<\/em>so, at the brain level, people with autism often process information more from a detail perspective. As a result, it can be more difficult to see the bigger picture and the connection between different things. Therefore, people with autism often struggle with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">filtering important and less important information.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">processing information (takes more time).<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">processing and applying new information (less flexible).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What these problems look like differs depending on the person, age and environment.<\/p>\n<h2>Characteristics of autism (ASD) in the young child<\/h2>\n<p>Characteristics of autism in young children are, for example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Feeling the need to keep the world predictable or the same.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Getting upset by relatively small changes.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Clinging to rituals or repetitions in play.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Wanting to have things their way, or asking the same questions over and over again.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Reacting more sensitive to environmental stimuli, or ignoring them completely.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Difficulty adapting to new situations or transitions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Different manifestations of autism (ASD) in young children<\/h2>\n<p>Autism manifests in different ways. Likewise, in young children. Below are some examples of these differences:<\/p>\n<p><strong>The child with autism who shuts him- or herself off from interaction<\/strong><br \/>\nChildren with autism prefer to play alone. This is partly to do with cutting themselves off from the many stimuli in a social environment. Often, this child prefers to play his\/her own game. For example, this child will be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">playing alone in a corner, while the other children play together;<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">not reacting when someone says something to them;<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">more focused on play equipment than interaction;<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">less interested in games or activities suggested by others and preferring to follow their own interests;<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">preferring to watch others play rather than participate themselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The child with autism who is strongly focused on interaction<\/strong><br \/>\nSome children, on the other hand, are very strongly focused on interacting with others. Their problem lies in the coordination of the interaction, so in taking the other person into account. For example, this child will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">easily interact with strangers, but may ask inappropriate questions.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">make little distinction between strange and familiar people.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">become familiar with a stranger too quickly by, for example, immediately sitting on their lap.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">be eager to touch or cuddle other children (and miss signals that the other child does not want this).<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">determine the game and tell other children what to do.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>A language advantage or, on the contrary, a language deficiency<\/strong><br \/>\nSome children with autism have a language advantage and use complex words. Yet, other children have a language deficit. They parrot (literally repeat), or do not speak (yet).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Always playing the same game or, on the contrary, being eager to learn<\/strong><br \/>\nA child\u2019s play can also vary greatly. Some children do the same thing over and over again. For example, they constantly line up toys, or sort them by colour or size. Other children are very inquisitive and, for instance, want to know everything about a certain subject.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Learning difficulties or, on the contrary, developmental advantages<\/strong><br \/>\nSome children with autism may also have learning difficulties. There may be developmental delays. Yet, it is also possible that a child with autism has developmental advantages in certain areas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Various problems that do not always occur<\/strong><br \/>\nIn addition, children with autism are more likely to have experience difficulties with eating, sleeping, potty training and motor skills. They are also more likely to have tantrums, show challenging behavior or appear restless or aggressive. However, these difficulties are not present in every child with autism.<\/p>\n<h2>Understanding what autism looks like in your child specifically<\/h2>\n<p>So, autism can take many different forms and can affect children in different areas of their development. That is why it is especially important to identify your child's strengths, as well as the areas in which they may need additional support.<\/p>\n<p>If your child has been diagnosed with autism, this only provides general guidance. It is important to understand how autism specifically affects your child. This means knowing what their strengths and talents are, as well as the areas in which they may experience difficulties. Professionals can help you understand your child as well as possible. From there, you can work together to find solutions that best support your child.<\/p>\n<p>Step 2: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.autismejongekind.nl\/en\/autism-in-children-information-for-parents-2\/step-by-step-plan-for-suspected-autism\/step-2-stimulating-development-and-positive-behaviour\/\">Stimulating development and positive behaviour<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Als je hebt gehoord dat jouw kindje waarschijnlijk autisme (ASS) heeft, wil je graag weten hoe je hier mee om kan gaan. En hoe je de ontwikkeling van je kindje kan stimuleren. Het is dan belangrijk om eerst te begrijpen wat autisme is en hoe het zich uit bij jonge kinderen. Hierdoor begrijp je ook [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":5884,"parent":1893,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-page-full-width-image.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1897","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Jouw jonge kind heeft misschien autisme. Wat is autisme eigenlijk?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Je kind heeft (vermoedelijk) autisme. Maar wat is autisme? 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