Personal Challenges for Young Children

Date of Interview: Student Name:

Interviewer: DOB:

Interviewee:

Behaviors That May Be Challenging For Young Children with ASD

Qualitative Impairments in Social Interaction:

overall flat affect (limited use of facial expressions)

lack of socially directed facial expressions

limited use of eye contact

difficulty responding to his/her name

prefers solitary activities (limited ability to initiate interactions with others)

seems more interested in play objects rather than in his/her play partners

limited ability to show or give items during play

inability to initiate and/or respond to joint attention

limited ability to participate in simple social games

inappropriately intrusive in social situations (no sense of body space, stranger danger, etc.)

little sense of other people’s boundaries (climbs over/on people as if they were a jungle gym)

not accepting cuddling, hugging, touching unless self initiated

Comments:

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Qualitative Impairments in Communication:

not using a finger to point

using another person’s body as a tool

low spontaneously initiated communication

limited ability to direct language toward a communication partner

limited use of gestures to communicate

limited ability to coordinate gestures and eye gaze toward a communication

partner difficulty responding to verbal language

limited understanding on nonverbal communication (gestures, tone of voice, etc.)

odd production of speech (intonation, volume, rhythm, etc.)

echoing what other people say (immediate or delayed echoing)

repetitive language

language doesn’t always make sense (i.e., uses some rote phrases out of context)

Comments:

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Restricted Repetitive & Stereotyped Patterns of Behavior, Interests
& Activities:

lining up or ordering objects (limited functional play with toys)

lack of varied and spontaneous creative play (frequent reenactment with toys)

insistence on routines, resisting change

negative reaction to change in environment (i.e., new piece of furniture, new furniture arrangement)

limited range of interests

fascination with movement (spinning wheels, fans, doors/drawers)

pacing or running back and forth, round and round

exploring environment through licking, smelling, touching, etc.

over or under-reaction to sounds

staring at patterns, light or shiny surfaces

impaired response to temperature or pain

perfectionist (problems with correction, mistakes, etc.)

difficulty with unstructured time

difficulty following another person’s plan

picky eater

Comments:

Brenna Noland, 2013.

This is a modified version of the original checklist. The original version was adapted from the Technical
Assistance Manual on Autism for Kentucky Schools and was created by Nancy Dalrymple and Lisa Ruble.
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