Signs Of Autism – What Are the Early Autism Signs?

As many as 1 out of every 100 children may be autistic, so if you’re a parent of a young child and worried about the early autism signs , you have a right to be concerned. It’s a good idea to keep a close eye on your young child, because even very young children can be diagnosed. And research shows that the earlier the diagnosis and treatment, the better the prognosis for good outcomes.

“Does my child have autism or PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder)?” It is a hard question to ask and even harder question to answer.

Autism Signs : Observe Your Childs Activity

According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Autism Facts, “a doctor should definitely and immediately evaluate a child for autism if he or she:

• Does not babble or coo by 12 months of age
• Does not gesture (point, wave, grasp, etc.) by 12 months of age:
• Does not say single words by 16 months of age
• Does not say two-word phrases on his or her own (rather than just repeating what someone says to him or her) by 24 months of age
• Has any loss of any language or social skill at any age.
• Does not respond to his name by 12 months

These are major signs, meaning they will be the easiest to spot because they have a very tangible time frame. For example, at the 12 month mark you clearly know what to look for, and if it is not happening, get an evaluation ASAP. Feel comfortable that if your child displays any of these signs you will definitely know it.

Autism Signs : Earlier Signs Of Autism

These early Autism Signs are designed to help you decide if your child needs and evaluation. Remember, an evaluation is not bad; it is good for a large number of reasons.

The child does not respond to his/her name: It looks like your 2 year old is ignoring you. Usually the child may not respond after 10 repetitions of his name. It may appear that he is being defiant or naughty and just not responding to you. This may be a Autism Signs.

The child cannot explain what he/she wants: The child still cannot fully explain what he wants at age 3 years, it needs to be addressed. If you feel your child cannot figure out how to communicate their wants or needs, believe your feelings. They are usually correct.

Language skills or speech are delayed. This was the number one symptom of Autism. It is more than just not being able to think up the words. He may not even attempt to use words. If your child is making NO attempt to speak, then maybe it is time to get an evaluation for Autism Signs.

The child doesn’t follow directions. This again is more than defiance or bed behavior. It is as if you have not spoken at all.

At times, the child seems to be deaf.  If it appears to happen more than once get an evaluation. A doctor who specializes in Autism and understanding Autism signs will be able to read body language and response rates more accurately than a parent.

The child seems to hear sometimes, but not others. Same as above, even though your mind tells you that it’s nothing, your child is just silly, or focused on something, or just playing around…be wary. Kids love attention and calling their name is exactly that.

The child doesn’t point or wave bye-bye. This could be an important Autism Signs. For a child, saying or waving bye is fun. They usually get a ton of attention and praise for it, therefore creating a want to do it every time. If you have to prompt your child any time after age 2 years to say bye or wave and they don’t you get an assessment.
The child used to say a few words or babble, but now he/she doesn’t. As stated before, this one is deceiving. It is natural to hear that first word that sounds like mama or dada or baba and get excited and then forget it. Most importantly, check to see if you child will use these words without you saying it first. Echolalia is prevalent in nearly all cases of Autism. Basically, they are just copying you. Like a bird who copies “pretty bird” it is very similar. If you say “baba, want a baba” and 2 minutes later your child says “baba” it’s easy to believe they came up with it on their own. In many cases they did, however, look closely to see if your child appears to have forgot how to say “baba” if you can say to yourself “he/she just doesn’t want to say it anymore for some reason” that reason just may be an early  Autism Signs.

The child throws intense or violent tantrums. Many kids hit, and throw things when upset. This symptom is different, and you will just be able to feel it. Intense would have long periods of very loud and abrasive screaming, kicking, or hitting. Self-harm is sometimes involved, but many times it is the very obnoxious screaming and trying to hit or hurt someone else.

The child has odd movement patterns. Stimming or odd movement patters is often seen in autism. Though jumping is a normal action but it can happen like clockwork or for prolonged time. Children will dance, but not every single time. Some of the common stims are spinning in circles, flapping hands, stomping feet etc.

The child doesn’t know how to play with toys. Typically children will play with the same toy but the play maybe deviant. Little things such as when playing with a truck, they spin just the wheels instead of driving it around. They may have defined playing patterns and may just spin objects or just lie on the ground and run the trains back and forth to watch the wheels go around.

The child doesn’t smile when smiled at. Look into your child’s eyes and smile, if they smile back, great. If they don’t smile back, chances are they won’t even make eye contact.

The child has poor eye contact. Poor eye contact is one of the key symptoms. The child can occasionally make eye contact. It is usually very brief and often not one to promote an action.

The child gets “stuck” on things over and over and can’t move on to other things. Many children with Autism Signs will begin to get into patterns. As if they can’t leave or finish a task without displaying that behavior. For example, the child will do the same thing before a task like making a tower of bricks and knocking it down at all times.

The child seems to prefer to play alone. The child prefers to play on their own. They may look from the sidelines but doesn’t t mingle or may do so perfunctorily and go back to playing alone.
The child is very independent for his/her age. Again, this is a misleading Autism signs, because an autistic child does not understand how to interact with other people and do not know how to ask for things. They do not need other children to interact with him in order to entertain.

The child may be able to do some things “early” compared to other children. Autistic children may have savant abilities. It may be a Autism signs if they excel in one thing and are delayed in all others. For example, they can put together a 100 piece puzzle at 2 1/2 years of age and also count to 20.  Yet they may not be able to eat on their own or ask to go to the toilet or say hello.

The child seems to be in his/her “own world.” Children are not supposed to be in their own world, the excessive “day dreaming”, intense .interest in their own preoccupations may be a autism signs. The child may not be aware of others and may even lack social awareness and do things normally one would not in front of others e.g. undress.

The child is not interested in other children. Again, this one becomes very clear. Take your child to the park with other kids, and watch. Children will naturally gravitate towards each other to see what is going on. The autistic child may simply ignore them and go about his business. If the kids leave he may not seem to notice.

The child walks on his/her toes. This is another interesting Autism signs. Many typically developing children will walk on their toes. They are experimenting with their muscles and probably playing around. This particular sign lasts a long time.

The child shows unusual attachments to toys, objects, or schedules (i.e., always holding a string or having to put socks on before pants).  They may be obsessed with a certain toy or object and hold on to it for ages. They may have ritualistic behaviors like lining all toys up. They may have a serious meltdown when the schedule or order changes. Again, this usually happens in the more severe cases and should easily be detected.

It’s important to keep in mind that every child is different and these symptoms ambiguous and variable. They may not be clearly evident and one may be a little bit more than another. If a parent notices any of these symptoms it is never too early to get them checked out.

Remember that your parental intuition is the greatest factor when determining Autism signs, or seeing developing Autism signs. Getting an evaluation will be the very best thing for you.

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