Newborn Signs of Autism

Autism is a neurological disorder that presents complications in language, social skills and appropriate behavior. Autism is typically diagnosed around 3 years of age, but screening tools have been developed to help detect it earlier.

Newborn

• Newborn babies' skill development is subtle, and recognizing signs of autism is difficult. Many children who are eventually diagnosed with autism show no signs during infancy.

Social Development

• Infants from birth to 3 months learn and exhibit many behaviors. Social behaviors are smiling, playing with other people and crying when playing stops or a person leaves the room. Absence of these behaviors could be signs of autism, though children develop and different paces so these are not necessarily red flags.

Movement

• By three months babies should be more mobile. Movement milestones include raising head and chest when lying on stomach, opening and shutting hands, and grasping toys. Again, absence of these skills can be signs of a problem or may be normal.

Visual and auditory

• By three months, babies should be responding to both visual and auditory stimulus. Milestones for these include watching faces, tracking moving objects, recognizing familiar people, babbling and turning towards sounds.

Warning signs

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, warning signs that your child is not developing typically include no response to loud noises, failure to notice hands, failure to follow moving objects with eyes, no interest in reaching for and grasping toys, babbling with no effort to imitate, failure to pay attention to new faces or a dramatic loss of skills.