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What Are the Signs of Autism?

Autism is a developmental disorder present at birth and becomes noticeable as a child grows and develops. It usually is diagnosed before age 3. Autism can vary widely in intensity from high functioning to severely disabled, and there are many different signs and symptoms that fall in the autism spectrum. However, all autism affects language and social interaction at some level. The severity depends on the degree of autism a child has.

  1. Early Red Flags

    • Certain behaviors are early warning signs for autism; you should report them to your pediatrician. A lack of smiling at 6 months or later could indicate autism. If the child does not engage in making reciprocal sounds and smiles by 9 months, that's another red flag. A baby should babble before 12 months and should have some words by 16 months. At 12 months, the child should be pointing, waving and showing things. He should have meaningful two-word phrases by 24 months that are not imitated or repeated. If he experiences a loss of language at any point, you should immediately report this.

    Social Signs

    • One of the three core problems in autism involves relating socially. These challenges manifest in the child having trouble making eye contact and sometimes failing to respond when someone calls her name. Autistic children can appear to be deaf at times. They typically will not like to be held and will show a marked lack of empathy for the feelings of others. Additionally, they usually have difficulty making friends and will often be caught up in their own pursuits and ideas.

    Language Signs

    • Many autistic issues will first manifest in the area of language. Autistic children will often not start talking until after the age of 2, which is very late developmentally. They may lose language skills once they gain them, and they can use sing-song speech or a robot-like voice when they talk. Starting and maintaining conversations are usually beyond them. They also know how to imitate words, but they don't always have the ability to understand what the words mean.

    Behavioral Signs

    • Sometimes autistic children can be unfairly known for their unusual behaviors, many of which involve highly ritualized and repetitive movements. The children become agitated if their routines are not kept, and they may act out. Some autistic children engage in repetitive movements such as rocking and spinning, or may seem to be in constant motion. They tend to focus on the parts of an object rather than the whole, and can be sensitive to one stimulus, yet completely unaware of another. For instance, they may not like noise, yet can tolerate high amounts of pain.

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