Worried About Autism? The Early Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

As a parent, you want to see your little one meet developmental milestones in every aspect of their life. In recent years, autism diagnoses seem to have increased significantly. Approximately 1 in 31 children in the United States has been identified with autism spectrum disorder, according to recently published CDC surveillance data. Autism diagnoses have also increased among young adults. 

How can you know if your child could have autism spectrum disorder? It helps to know what signs to look for in your infant, toddler, or child’s behavior. 

Board-certified pediatric neurologist Dr. Charles Niesen and our team at AMS Neurology in Pasadena, California, have years of experience screening children for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 

ASD presents differently in each child and exists along a broad spectrum, but several signs warrant seeking help from a pediatric neurologist. 

Social/communications skills 

You adore your baby and love holding, talking, and singing to them and trying to elicit smiles and reciprocal reactions. 

Social engagement, including eye contact and shared attention, plays an important role in early development. Your baby should look at you and use facial expressions of happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise before they’re one year old. 

Your child should also react when you call their name. If your baby consistently avoids eye contact or isn’t engaging socially in expected ways, it may be a good idea to discuss your concerns with a health care provider.

Has your toddler undergone a marked change in behavior? Perhaps they were using words in short sentences and now aren’t talking. 

Toddlers typically engage in parallel play alongside other children, while preschoolers often begin to play and communicate more interactively. Delays in these social behaviors may warrant further evaluation.

A deficit in language skills can signal ASD, but your child needs to be screened to rule out other reasons. 

Unusual or repetitive behaviors 

Does your young child play with toys in an unusual way? Do you see rigidity in how they play? Perhaps they focus on drawing only fire engines during easel time over a period of months, even when encouraged to picture something else. 

Maybe they line up their toys repeatedly without engaging in other play. Early play in a constricted way may be a sign of ASD. 

Does your child sit and rock in place instead of engaging with other children? Do they repeat the same words over and over again when you’re trying to communicate with them? Word repetition, called echolalia, is a sign of ASD, as are repetitive body movements. 

Sensory and emotional dysregulation 

Does your loved one have a hard time with daily transitions? Perhaps they start screaming when it’s time to leave the house. Transitions in activity can be challenging for children with ASD. 

Perhaps your child has sensory issues. They may gag or spit out food that feels strange to them. They may refuse any new food or only eat the same food every day. You may have to cut the tags out of clothing because they can’t stand the tag touching their skin. 

Early intervention often leads to the best outcomes for children with ASD. Call AMS Neurology or book an appointment online today if your child has social, communication, sensory, emotional, or motor challenges and isn’t meeting developmental milestones.