Early Signs of ASD

ASD: The Early Signs

It can be challenging to diagnose ASD as the signs can be different for each child. And it’s even harder to diagnose in really young children as they have less ability to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Plus there are so many overlapping or similar signs and symptoms of Autism that can be something completely different too.

But let’s look at four common ways to tell if your child may be Autistic:

Delayed Milestones

These are when kids don’t reach certain milestones by a particular age. Some common ones to watch out for are:

• Responding when you say their name (by 9 months of age)
• Showing signs of facial expressions such as happy, sad, angry or surprised (by 9 months of age)
• Pointing or waving (by 12 months of age)
• Showing interest in things (by 15 months of age)
• Following where someone is pointing to (by the age of 18 months)
• Unaware or doesn’t acknowledge when someone else has hurt themselves or is sad (by 24 months of age)
• Engaged in pretend play (by age 30 months)
• Understanding emotions of others or talking about their feelings (by 3 years of age)
• Playing games that involve taking turns (by age 5)

All kids are different, so don’t panic if your child hasn’t reached a milestone by the exact date, however significant delays or any concerns you have are worth raising with your doctor. At the end of the day, you know your child best.

Socially Awkward

When it comes to social situations, does your child avoid making eye contact and struggle to make friends? Are they not interested in going to birthday parties or won’t play sports or avoids other social groups?

Does any of that sound familiar or ring a few bells?

One of the reasons Autistic kids can appear to be socially awkward is because they can get hyper-focused on one thing and one thing only. That’s all they can process, and all other social communication goes out the window.

Struggles with Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication

A common sign of Autism is struggling with understanding emotions, facial expressions, and changes in voice tones. Also not understanding when someone is being sarcastic or telling a joke or their body language. Obviously, age-appropriately, but kids can generally start to interpret their parent’s voices and facial cues from an early age, especially if they’re getting in trouble.