Early Symptoms of Autism

According to NIMH, although there are many concerns about labeling a young child with an ASD, the earlier the diagnosis of ASD is made, the earlier needed interventions can begin. Evidence over the last 15 years indicates that intensive early intervention in optimal educational settings for at least 2 years during the preschool years results in improved outcomes in most young children with ASD.

So right now we are going to discuss what to look for as early symptoms of autism.

The Childhood Autism

Autism is, generally, a pervasive development disorder or better known as PDD, that manifests delayed development in basic communication skills.

This general symptom of childhood autism is not clearly diagnosed until about the child is already on his or her toddler or pre-school stage.

In its entirety, autism, which is mostly prevalent in children, is characterized by the child's inability to communicate verbally or to emotionally bond with other people.

The diagnosis of such disorders through these general symptoms may be too late if the physician or the parents will only depend on these latent indicators.

Hence, it is important to detect the early symptoms of autism to initiate immediate observation, effective therapy, and protective measures, if necessary.

The Early Signs and Symptoms

Any suggestion that the patient is suffering from certain disorders such as autism should be put on the expert's guard at once. Abnormalities in whatever area of development as well as any signs of metabolic disorder should be immediately detected and diagnosed.

For some people, it is difficult to identify the probable symptoms of childhood autism. Usually, they confuse the child's behavioral problems as something that they thought they are the ones who were at fault. This is, indeed, a wrong connotation because autism is not caused by environmental factors. In fact, no one knows what the exact causes of autism are.

However, the early diagnosis of the disorder is very vital in helping the child minimize the aberrations. Treatments and therapies will be infused immediately whenever the problems are detected on its earliest stage.

Therefore, for people who want to know the initial symptoms of autism, here are some of the basic indicators that can be associated with infants as young as 1 year old.

1. Be wary if your child is not able to manifest normal gestures such as pointing or waving by the time he turns one year old.

Normally, children should be adept in more gestures that show proper body and brain coordination such as waving bye-bye or pointing to certain objects that fascinates them by the time that they turn one.

If, in any case, your child does not manifest gestures such as those mentioned, then, your child is most likely a candidate for autism.

2. No chatting or coos by 12 months of age.

This would mean that your child is having delayed communication developments, which is the primary indicator of childhood autism.

3. By the time your child reaches 16 months and still he cannot utter even a single word, then, he may be having difficulty with verbal communication, which is one of the vital signs in autism.

4. When children reach 24 months and still, they do not utter two-word phrases on their own and keep on repeating what other people are saying could mean early signs of autism.

5. Your child may be autistic if he or she had lost communication or social skills.

These early symptoms are very important in identifying the probability that the child is autistic. Thus, parents and the people around them should be aware that these signs are not normal and could be good indicators of autism.

Keep in mind that the consequences of neglect in reporting or failure to realize the true gravity of the situation may be serious. By the time people realize the matter, it may be too late already.

For further information regarding early symptoms of autism please go to NIMH homepage.