Early Symptoms of Autism

From LoveToKnow Autism

With the grim statistics of the explosive growth in autism, many parents wonder what those early symptoms of autism really are. First off, relax; in all likelihood, your child is okay. Almost all children behave a little strange from time to time -- to our adult eyes -- yet go on to become perfectly normal people. However, there are certain danger signs to look out for in your baby; if any of the symptoms below apply, you should get in touch with a medical professional for a real evaluation.

Early Symptoms of Autism

For very small children, it is difficult to determine much of anything. However, a baby should:

  • Smile, especially in response to your smile
  • Imitate faces and sounds
  • Respond to his or her name, or at least look in your direction

A 2-week old obviously doesn't know his or her name yet; but an 8-month old definitely should know it, and should look at you when called most of the times, for example. Again, "most of the time" is a key part of this, since no child will always snap to attention when called or imitate you sticking your tongue out. If you get a response more than half the time, you're probably okay.

For slightly older children, it's time to start looking at the emotional and social development, as well as the importance of patterns. Some specific things to look for:

  • Irrational emotional outbursts
  • Poor language development
  • Unwillingness to share
  • No pretend play
  • Obsession with routines and patterns

All kids throw tantrums, but those of an Autistic child tend to be both more random and more severe, while harder to stop.

Failure to learn and use even simple, practical words is a serious red flag. Normal kids should be using both one- and two-word combinations by the two-year mark. Likewise, sudden regression, where the child appears to lose previous skills, is a major red flag.

Young children can be selfish, but Autistic children may seem rude in that they don't want to play with other kids at all, and especially not share toys -- ever. Furthermore, the toys are mostly for repetitive play and creating patterns, not dynamic playing like doll tea parties or cyborg ninja pirates battling the hordes of evil cowboy dinosaurs.

In the more clear-cut cases, the child is content arranging the toys in perfect lines or sorting them into piles depending on colors for hours.

What to do if your Baby has these Symptoms

If your child displays multiple or severe symptoms listed above, it's time to get the professionals on board. An autism screening test may take a few hours, but once the diagnosis is made you have the right to free assistance through your state's Early Intervention program (check your state for details). But the first step is always to get a real diagnosis, if that is indeed what's going on; if not, you can sleep easy again.

You can also get in touch with Defeat Autism Now (DAN) and tap their vast knowledge of autism in the United States and elsewhere. They can help you research your child's early symptoms of Autism and hook you up with a local DAN doctor, possibly offering ideas for treatment you may not get through the Early Intervention program. In any case, speed is of the essence since time is very much a factor in how much a child is affected by Autism later in life. So if you are genuinely concerned and suspect your child has autism, play it safe and get a formal test done today.

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