Recognize the signs

No one likes to think there is something wrong with their child.  See, that!! "wrong".  That's your first mistake.  There is nothing "wrong" with your child.  You have to change your way of thinking.  You child is unique and just like everyone else has their own way of thinking and learning.
The list below are signs that your child may be autistic.   How do I know?  Because my son is.  He is high functioning autistic.  Autism is a very wide spectrum and not all autistic kids are alike.  But because my cousin's son is autistic, I recognized some of the characteristics in my own child.  I can see it in other kids too.  I've been around this too long not to.  If you feel your child might have some of these characteristic then get it checked out.  You are doing a disservice if you don't.  And it may not be autism; it could be some other disorder or learning disability.  Professionals can help you with ways to aid your child's learning and development in a way they can understand  Don't worry about what people think! That's what we teach our kids, right?  Isn't your child more important than someone else's ignorance?   

In E's case, these are some of this signs I noticed and still notice today:

• Very little or no eye contact.
• Tends to get too close when speaking to someone (lack of personal space).  *His speech teacher just told me of a great idea she is doing in the class room to help with this!  Hula hoops!  This way kids have a visible barrier to help them understand.
• Responds to social interactions, but does not initiate them.  I see this at gathering or at a park, he won't usually go up to someone without some prompting, but he's getting better
• Prefers to be alone, aloft or overly-friendly.
• Frequent gas (flatulence, burping) or throwing up.
• Difficulty understanding jokes, figures of speech.
• Difficulty reading facial expressions and body language.  This is where my patience runs thin.  When disciplining he laugh uncontrollably.  It's almost like he's unaware.  It drives me nuts, but so I would us visual aids for this sometimes (pictures of happy, sad, unhappy faces).  Now if I use the word "scold" (do I have to scold you?) it usually makes him stop laughing.  It's like he knows when I use that word I mean business...Whatever he thinks it is, it helps.  Just gotta find what works.  
• Difficulty understanding the rules of conversation.
• Aversion to answering questions about themselves.  He is getting better at this.
• Gives spontaneous comments which seem to have no connection to the current conversation.
• Seems unable to understand other peoples' feelings.
• Finds it easier to socialize with people that are older or younger, rather than peers of their own age.
• Unaware of/disinterested in what is going on around them.
• Minimal acknowledgement of others.
• Abnormal use of pitch, intonation, rhythm or stress while speaking.
• Speech is abnormally loud or quiet.
• Repeats last words or phrases several times.
• Often uses short, incomplete sentences.  Although since the beginning of this school year this has improved so much
• Pronouns are often inappropriately used.
• Difficulty understanding directional terms (front, back, before, after).
• Ritualistic or compulsive behavior patterns (sniffing, licking, watching objects fall, flapping arms, spinning, rubbing clothes).
• Fascination with rotation.
• Play is often repetitive.
• Quotes movies or video games. (Echolalia)
• Frustration is expressed in unusual ways. E will sometimes express by biting, hitting, headbanging.
• Feels the need to fix or rearrange things.
• Transitioning from one activity to another is difficult.
• Difficulty attending to some tasks.
• Gross motor skills are developmentally behind peers (riding a bike, skating, running).
• Fine motor skills are developmentally behind peers (hand writing, tying shoes, scissors).
• Fear (phobia) for no apparent reason.  Along with not being able to communicate exactly why he feels this way can be frustrating for him.
• Verbal outbursts.
• Unexpected movements (running out into the street).
• Difficulty sensing time (Knowing how long ten minutes is or three days or a week).
• Difficulty waiting for their turn (such as in a line).
• Causes injury to self (biting, banging head). 
• Sensitivity to sounds, textures (touch), tastes, smells or light.  I take a pair of earplugs if I know we're going to a place where too much sound will be involved (amusement park, movies, restaurants)
• Difficulty with loud or sudden sounds.  No 4th of July celebrations for us!
• Inability to perceive potentially dangerous situations.
• Unusually high pain tolerance. This one concerns me a lot.  Along with no awareness of danger can be a recipe for disaster)
• Intolerance to certain food textures, colors or the way they are presented on the plate (one food can’t touch another).  He's getting better, but can be a very picky eater!
• Laughs, cries or throws a tantrum for no apparent reason.
• Resists change in the environment (people, places, objects).
• An emotional incident can determine the mood for the day - emotions can pass very suddenly or are drawn out for a long period of time.
• Becomes overwhelmed with too much verbal direction.
• Tends to either tune out or break down when being reprimanded. (this is a tough one for me, he laugh uncontrollably when I am trying to discipline)
• Excellent rote memory in some areas.
• Difficulty with reading comprehension (can quote an answer, but unable to predict, summarize or find symbolism).
• Difficulty with fine motor activities (coloring, printing, scissors, gluing).
• Short attention span for most lessons.
• Resistance or inability to follow directions.
• Difficulty transitioning from one activity to another in school.
• Walks on toes.  He's outgrown this, but still tends to from time to time.
• Difficulty changing from one floor surface to another (carpet to wood, sidewalk to grass).
• Appearance of hearing problems, but hearing has been checked and is fine.

So you may be saying to yourself, what kid doesn't have some of these?   Heck, for that matter what adults don't have some of these.  But it's different.  I can't explain how, but it is.  I guess you have to be a parent to understand.  For E, there so many steps that I have to take when it comes to the simplest tasks that most people wouldn't even think twice about.  I know the ability (and limitation) of both my kids and each one is cared for in a way that is best for them as individuals.  When friends see E they say, I wouldn't have guess he's autistic.  That makes me feel like I'm doing something right :)