Autism and Schizophrenia

One of the first behaviors I noticed in this video was Jani's stereotypic movements/flapping at her birthday gathering.  These movements, particularly in a large-group setting that could be somewhat exciting for Jani, immediately struck me as being very similar to a child with Autism.  Jani's parents reported that she never slept as an infant and was up often screaming for no particular reason.  She had invisible companions, which is also comparable to a child with Autism.  However, Jani's list of invisible companions was extremely expansive and it was very evident that she was not in control of these imaginary friends as there were many times she felt threatened by them.  I have worked with many pre-school age children with Autism who also have imaginary friends; however, they present much differently and are very much in control of their companions.  Jani also demonstrated aggressive behaviors towards her younger brother, particularly when he was crying.  While this may be true for a child with Autism, much of the cause here would be due to shifts in attention from the parents or sensory overload due to the noise.  This was definitely not true for Jani; it seemed as though she had a strong urge to actually hurt her brother.  They were also both socially withdrawn and made poor eye contact throughout the video.


However, there were  some noticeable distinctions between Schizophrenia and Autism as well.  I found the video clip of Jani as an infant tracking something she saw very interesting.  It was so clear that she was actually seeing something that was not a part of reality.  The part I found most fascinating is how both of these girls, so young in age, could describe so vividly what they were seeing and feeling.  Because of this, communication does not seem to be as much of a factor when looking at Schizophrenia.  A child with Autism would never be able to look outside of themselves enough to explain their thoughts and feelings to another individual.  Children with Autism, at least those with whom I have worked, also do not seem as dissatisfied with their lives.  You could tell in the video that both Jani and Becca were very unhappy with their lives, they hated people, and were very much in pain.  They are looking to escape their imaginary companions and voices, which a child with Autism seemingly enjoys being a part of another world.


Constant observation of these children and looking back on old videos like they did, in conjunction with extensive research on symptoms across settings, would help with differential diagnosis between Autism and Schizophrenia.