Trust your instincts if you feel that your child has a developmental challenge. With an early diagnosis, you may be able to find better intervention to help your child develop and thrive.
Every child with ASD is unique, and many different factors may be present.
Signs that help distinguish a very young child with ASD from children developing typically:
At 12 Months
- A child with typical development generally turns his head after hearing his name.
- A child with ASD might not respond after hearing her name, even when it’s said repeatedly, but will usually respond to other sounds.
At 18 Months
- A child with typical speech skills babbles or talks.
- A child with delayed speech skills (but not ASD) is likely to point, gesture, or use facial expressions to communicate, but won’t talk as efficiently.
- A child with ASD might make no clear attempt to communicate or to compensate for delayed speech. He might limit his speech to repeating what he hears.
At 24 Months
- A child without any developmental disability can express her emotions and attachments by using flashcards.
- A child with ASD may not engage in much eye contact, emotional sharing, or communication with parents.
- A child with ASD may bring toys but may not obviously express pleasure in playing together.
Beyond 24 Months
- Children may not show clear signs of ASD right away. If you don’t get the answers you need early on but still have concerns, continue to work with health care providers.