For most parents, the main focus is on meeting their baby’s needs. That means providing for their basic needs like food, sleep, care, supervision, and love, and making sure those are covered. Managing these tasks is a full-time job in itself, for sure.
But it’s also important to pay attention to your child’s behaviors, especially their social and communication skills. Differences in these skills can sometimes be an indicator of autism spectrum disorder.
While these skills can develop over time, if you notice anything concerning, remember that you should bring it up with your child’s pediatrician or healthcare provider. Autism spectrum disorder is a spectrum condition, and it’s typically assessed during routine screenings around 18 to 24 months. The American Academy of Pediatrics actually recommends routine checks at 9, 18, 24, and 30 months. In my own practice, I check at 9, 12, 18, and 24 months, and if there’s any uncertainty with a particular case, we do a more advanced follow-up.
Even though we do these screenings at specific months, in more pronounced cases, signs can be noticed much earlier. So, when you take your child to the doctor, be aware that the visit isn’t just for an ear infection, a throat infection, or a cough. Remember, your doctor should also be checking in on your child’s awareness, their perceptions, their social intelligence, and other aspects of their development.
We know that every child develops at their own unique pace. So, a skill developing slowly doesn’t automatically mean your baby has autism spectrum disorder. However, you know your baby and young child best. If you do spot worrying signs or suspect it could be autism, it’s crucial to talk to your pediatrician. An early diagnosis, when combined with support, services, and therapies, can really help with their development.
Knowing the signs is beneficial for you as parents and caregivers. Getting therapies started early can prevent a significant gap from forming between them and their peers later on. It can help ensure your child has a more comfortable future, and allows them to become more independent sooner.
Autism is fundamentally a neurological developmental disability that affects how a person interacts with their environment. Every autistic child is unique and will show different needs in terms of intervention and treatment. There’s no one-size-fits-all perfect method for every case. So, the child needs to be evaluated, and based on where their specific needs are, we try to take steps with one or several targeted approaches.
Autism can involve differences in communication methods or styles, social skills, self-regulation, the intensity of their interests, and certain behaviors. Autism spectrum disorder can encompass a range of features and behaviors, including what was previously known as Asperger’s syndrome. The diversity of characteristics falls under this one umbrella.
Because autism is a spectrum disorder, there’s a combination of differences from one individual to another. Each person is unique in their own autism spectrum profile; no two individuals are exactly the same. One person’s speech might be a bit more developed, or their fine motor skills might be better, while another individual might be very advanced in one area but have more difficulty understanding emotions or social cues. Even though these two individuals might struggle with different things, managing their treatment will correctly require different approaches.
Research suggests that both genetic and non-genetic factors are linked to autism. But autism itself isn’t a disease; it’s considered a neurotype—meaning it’s a different way of experiencing the world. It’s generally accepted that about 1% to 2% of the total population is autistic.
What this means, folks, is that you might have some autistic traits yourself. But if you’ve learned to live with it and have made sense of it within yourself, it may not prevent you from managing your life and tackling challenges. You could be autistic and still steer your life in the direction you want.
There’s no specific “cure” for autism, and no single diagnostic test. There’s no “go get this lab test done and all the answers will be clear” scenario.
Let me use an analogy: Imagine one child has covered 240 kilometers, and another child is 60 kilometers behind. You can’t close that 60-kilometer gap in three years with just 20% support. You need to provide 25%, 30%, 40%, 50% support for them to catch up, or at least to keep the gap from widening further. My point is, early intervention is incredibly beneficial.
As we mentioned, we expect to see a social smile starting around 2 to 3 months. That means a baby who looks at their caregiver, makes eye contact, and smiles back. If your baby reaches 6 months without a clear social smile, doesn’t seem to recognize their caregiver, and doesn’t express happiness to them socially, that could be an early sign of autism. We often see this in moderate to more pronounced cases.
Also, some caregivers might find it difficult to play with their young child who has autism. But this doesn’t mean that every child who is hard to play with is autistic—don’t get confused. Delays in language development or social skills, avoiding physical contact, avoiding eye contact, or an inability to make eye contact are also potential signs of autism.
You don’t need to see all these signs in one individual to be concerned. If you see even one, you should be suspicious, talk to your doctor, who will observe and can make a diagnosis or set up a monitoring plan.
Autism signs can also appear in older children. These can include limited sharing in play, using unusual or limited gestures, pointing at things they want instead of trying to engage a family member, or delays in speech development. These signs often become clearer in older children because, like in our analogy, more time has passed. You’re not just an hour behind, but 3, 4, or 5 hours behind, and the gap has widened, making the situation much more obvious.
Children can be reliably diagnosed as early as 14 months, though parents may suspect it earlier, and some might realize it much later. It’s recommended that doctors screen children for autism by the time they are 18 months old. If you’re able to go for regular check-ups—at 9, 12, 18, and 24 months, like we do in my clinic—and they include an autism assessment, you’ll have far fewer problems and far fewer cases will be missed.
I’ll say it again, folks: in these situations, early identification can open the door to help and support. With an early diagnosis, you can prevent the gap with their peer group from growing too large, making it easier for your child to manage on their own with less difficulty, less effort, and more learning.
Until next time, take good care of yourselves.
