Saturday, 02 October 2010

• Recognizing Early Warning Signs of Autism

   

  

  In recent years, autism has either become more prevalent in young children, or it has simply become more widely reported.  Whatever the case, the rise in awareness may make a big difference in the lives of untold children developing autism due to the fact that there is not only more research being done to determine causes, symptoms, and treatments of autism, but also that information about the condition is being much more widely disseminated.  And much of the data seems to indicate that early detection and treatment in infants and toddlers can significantly increase the chances for these children to improve their functioning and in some cases, overcome their disability and go on to lead normal lives.  So if you’re worried that your child may be exhibiting signs of autism, here are a few telltale markers that may justify further diagnosis.

   

  1. Point , wave, and babble.  By 12 months of age, your baby should be exhibiting a number of communicative tendencies, including pointing, waving, and making babbling or cooing noises.  These are solid indications that your child is starting to process communication signals and is attempting to repeat them.  Failure to produce these signs of recognition is a definite warning that something is wrong.
  2. Beginning speech.  Although every child advances at a different level, if your baby isn’t using single words by 16 months, it may be time to have him evaluated.  In addition, most children can begin to form phrases by 24 months.  So if you notice that your child is simply repeating back single words that are spoken to him rather than saying them on his own or putting them together, it could indicate either autism or a learning disability.
  3. Continued speech.  Many children begin to form autism not as infants, but as they become toddlers (or even at older ages).  For this reason, it’s important to note if your child seems to be regressing rather than progressing in his speech patterns.  If he has started to babble or even to speak, but over time he loses these skills, then you will certainly want to get him checked out.  Even if autism is not the problem, you will want to ensure that there is no hearing loss or other complications.
  4. Responsiveness.  Most children who suffer from autism have a difficult time responding to verbal or visual communications because they are unable to process information in the same way that others do.  Because of this they may exhibit several odd behaviors such as avoiding eye contact, not smiling when smiled at, not responding to their name, only seeming to hear or understand intermittently, or either completely avoiding or obsessively clinging to toys or other objects.
  5. Acting out.  The inability to communicating is no doubt extremely frustrating.  For this reason, many autistic children act out in various ways.  They may be hyperactive, violent, uncooperative, or throw frequent tantrums.  They might also refuse to play or interact with others, tune people out, display strange patterns of movement, or exhibit signs of OCD (having to do things in a certain order or getting stuck on repeated actions).  While some of these may be signs of other disorders, they are certainly red flags that there is something going on that needs to be observed and diagnosed by a professional.

  
  

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