Early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Autism is a disease that can be detected during the early developmental stages by a pediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommends that all children be screened for autism at ages 18 months and 24 months, in addition to undergoing developmental and behavioral screenings at 9 months, 18 months and 30 months. Research shows that by age 2, an ASD diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered reliable.
Some early signs of ASD are:
- Lack of eye contact
Eye contact is a preliminary form of connection in a social setting. Autistic kids have a severe lack of eye contact. - Lack of big smiles
The child may smile very rarely or may not show any joyful expressions. - Lack of joint attention
Joint attention or reciprocal social interaction is when a child engages in back and forth communication between a parent or a peer. A normal child may point towards things he/she finds interesting or pays attention when someone else points towards an object or item. - Language delays
An autistic child finds it difficult to understand social cues and as a result will also struggle with learning speech and language. In some cases, the child may not babble at all. Other than speech delay, autistic children may display repeating of what others say for a long period. - Intense interest in certain objects
The child may choose to engage only with a particular toy or a set of particular toys. - Repetitive behaviors
Play with toys in a particular manner, such as lining up objects. They can also display repetitive movements such as hand flapping, head banging, etc.
