A 3 year old child has normal developmental milestones except delayed language development (poor speech development). He has difficulty in concentration, communication, and making friends (i.e. he has no friends) and spends time seeing his own hands. The most probable diagnosis is:
High-Yield Explanation
The child has all the three core features of autism, Impairment in social interaction (difficulty in making friends) Impaired communication and repetitive Stereotyped behavior (spends most time seeing own hands). Clinical features of Autism: Impairment in social interaction (Reciprocal social skills poor) Poor eye contact, lack of social smile and anticipatory posture absent. * Poor attachment to parents and others * Restricted, repeated & stereotype behaviors * Repetitive plays Stereotyped movements like hand wringing, spinning and head banging * Impairment of communication and language * Delayed language milestones, motor milestones normal * - Higher threshold for pain and less/no sensations for spinning movements. - Self destructive behaviors (biting, scratching, head banging) - Abnormal dermatoglyphics (fingerprints)