Early Signs of Autism
By: Margie Frisco, MA Supervised by Melissa Barton, MA, LPC-SAutism can be hard to see in children, even though there can be many early signs. The mental health community does not always agree on what causes autism. But many can agree on some early signs of autism. Below are some signs indicating autism. Keep in mind that every child might present with different symptoms. It is significant to note that autism can look vastly different from boys to girls, which is why a professional evaluation might be most beneficial.
Delayed Milestones
Delayed milestones depend on the age of the child. For example, young children under the age of one to roughly two years old might be able to say a sentence or at least have some key phrases to communicate. Some children with autism do not speak or have a minimal vocabulary during this time. Other contributors to consider, specifically for language development, would be if multiple languages are being used within the household if the child has older siblings that might communicate for them or any hearing difficulties. These could explain the speech delay as well.
Interactions with Other Children
Many children with autism might struggle with interactions with kids their age. Some signs could be when the child lacks eye contact, difficulty understanding their friend's feelings, understanding nonverbal behaviors, difficulty responding/starting a conversation, lack of interest in making friends or keeping them, and difficulty reacting to those emotions. For example, if a friend is crying, a child with autism might laugh or become irritated by the other child. Again, some children might not want to interact with others not because of autism, but maybe they have not developed their communication skills or have not found people they can relate to consistently.
Repetitive Actions or Fixations
Many children with autism demonstrate a calm nature when they can complete repetitive actions. For example, you may see them rocking or keeping a strict schedule/routine. Another way some children show this is by being interested in or fixating on a specific character, topic, or toy. Some examples would be linking logs, knowing a comic character inside and out, or extensive knowledge about insects. This section can be tricky to separate "typical" child behavior from that of an individual with autism. Many children respond better to structure. The main difference here is that an individual with autism might not adapt to changes. For example, if a child always brings their lunch to school but forgets the lunch at home, the child with autism might refuse to eat a school lunch to adapt because that is not their packed lunch from home.
Qualifications for Diagnosis
Keep in mind that many of the signs above might sound like many children would qualify for a diagnosis of autism. There are some factors to think about when autism is a concern. The symptoms would be recognizable in childhood. Also, the signs must impact daily living. This means that the signs make the child's life significantly more challenging. The diagnosis would be further explained by the severity level and how the signs impact their life.The key takeaway from this section is that many children can have tendencies resembling autism. Furthermore, an intellectual disability or developmental delay cannot explain the signs better. There can be co-existing autism diagnosis with some other disorders. The most important thing to do is if you feel that autism could be a concern for your child, get them evaluated. Most school districts or mental health providers can perform an evaluation. I would recommend finding someone that specializes in screening for autism.
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