Autism's early warning symptoms are easy to neglect. Autism spectrum disorder can be identified at the age of 18–24 months; however, it is not commonly diagnosed until the age of 4-5 years. Early recognition and treatment can have a lasting impact on autistic children. Learn about the indicators of autism that appear in the early 16 months. Read this blog fully and carefully to get proper insight about your child.
Babies come into the world as a natural explorers, keen to learn. Their desire to study follows from their interest with anything that holds their curiosity. By 1-2 months, babies begin to look at faces and are anxious to seek social attention as well as engagement. Keep in mind that diagnosing autism can be challenging due to the lack of medical evaluations or blood tests. The diagnosis is made based on behavioural indications or characteristics.
These Early Indications Of Autism Spectrum Disorder:
If autism is not identified early on, it can have a cascade effect on brain development and cause serious social, speech, and mental health issues, as well as disruptive behaviours. If you see these symptoms, you can act appropriately in order to encourage your baby's growth.
Your infant is unable to look at you: You should have little trouble getting your infant to pay attention to you. Babies have a strong need to be close to you, to focus on your face, and to focus on your eyes. Having trouble getting your infant to stop and look at you could be an early symptom of ASD.
Rarely show emotions with you: Babies are happy to look at you and smile or laugh when they are joyful. Some autistic children smile to convey their happiness, but they keep their smiles to themselves. Others may not always laugh or show an empty affect, finding it difficult to tell whether they are delighted. Whenever you spend time with your kid, he will rarely share excitement with you, which can be a symptom of the autism spectrum.
Hardly reacts when called by name: Babies have turned to hear your voice; when you call their name, they turn towards you in response. Babies rapidly react with various social cues, such as "Come here," "bye-bye," and "tapping your nose or pointing in the direction you're going. Some autistic kids reply by staring at your hand instead of where you're pointing. It may be an early symptom of autism if your baby barely reacts to your calls or other attempts at social engagement.
Limited usage of show-and-point motions or gestures: By the age of 12 to 14 months, babies are trying to get your attention to stuff they are interested in using gestures like pointing. The development of speech is pushed forward by these infant motions. A limited ability to use gestures, particularly exhibiting and pointing, is a warning indicator of autism.
Little to no effort attempting to be someone else: through the age of 13 months, kiddos start to learn through imitating the actions and words of others. They do a number of functional movements, including holding a spoon or sippy bottle in their mouth to eat or drink. As a result, toddlers develop their ability to imitate skills. For example, they may offer you a drink from a cup or bottle, hug Teddy Bear, or play by covering by cloth. ASD-related children typically excel at using toys in solo play. It may be an early symptom of autism if your child imitates others very little or not at all and does not start acting out in play.
Put your hand to use as a tool: Between the ages of 9 and 16 months, toddlers begin to make a number of gestures, including giving, reaching, raising the arms, showing, waving, and directing. Due to their very restricted use of these simple gestures, children with autism may come up with innovative ways to communicate, such as using others hands as a tool. Early signs of autism may include your infant moving or tugging your hand or another part of your body like a tool, especially if they aren't looking at you.
Unrealistic response to sounds, images, or textures: Autism in babies might cause them to respond in odd manners or become excessively sensitive to specific noises, sights, or sensations. They might become overly excited about a book page, cover their ears when they hear loud noises, or flap their hands in response to particular lighting. Your child may have autism if they react in an odd way to sounds, images, or textures.
What if your child shows these early symptoms?
Each of these symptoms might not be a concern. However, when combined, they can early Indications Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, it indicate that a screening or diagnostic examination is necessary. As a general guideline, utilize our free online assessment on child's development to assess your newborn for autism. If they exhibit any four of these early indications, you can ask for deep intervention.