Every child differs in his/her developmental capacity and pace. Some children learn to speak earlier than others. Some learn to walk earlier than others. However, there are some milestones which should be reached by every child by a specific age. If babies fail to talk or walk by a certain age, there may be a problem. When a child is unable to talk, many parents interpret it as a sign of autism. However, to detect autism, parents should focus more on the child’s non-verbal response to sounds.

Autism is detectable in children of all ages but the symptoms differ age-wise. At two months, the inability of babies to respond to loud sounds, to watch things as they move and to bring their hands to their mouths are warning signs. At six months, if the child does not show affection, laugh or squeal, and remains stiff, the parents should be worried. At the age of five years, these signs grow alarmingly disruptive. Children are not able to show emotions, they show behavioral extremes, are easily distracted, fail to differentiate between real scenarios and make-believe scenarios and have a general tendency to lose skills.

The benchmark for healthy development is producing social co-operation, freely using gestures, communication with people and the surroundings, and the ability to play and respond to external stimuli.

If children produce the following behaviours, they should not be regarded as normal developmental delays:

1. Social

Shows no affection

Maintains a stiff composure

Lack of appropriate eye contact

No response to their own name

Lack of consideration of others’ feelings

Preference to play on their own and not mingle with others

Lack of warm expressions

2. Language

Delayed speech

Inability to produce whole sentences

Ritualistic and repetitive speech

Unusual vocal quality of speech: monotone, robotic, high-pitched

Inability to begin a conversation

Speaks unclearly

Failure to understand the differences between ‘you, me’ and ‘same, different’

Avoids responding to people

3. Behavioral

Development of specific routines

Having an urge to move constantly

Displays unusual sensitivity to light or sound but remains indifferent to infliction of pain

Behaves in extremes

Cannot play with simple toys and shows no interest in them

Indulges in repetitive behavior

The parents play a vital role in the successful detection of autism in children. In order to rule out signs of autism, parents need to closely monitor their children’s development. The children might show signs of delayed development; however, it is imperative to distinguish between the normal signs of delayed development and signs which might indicate a different path of development. The immediate response of parents should be to check their children for signs of autism. This should not cause panic, but a clinical check can be carried out to dispel any qualms.

While many doctors just recommend to ‘wait-and-see’, parents should be one step ahead by recording all the unusual behaviours and putting their children up for treatment. The treatment is the more successful, the earlier it starts. Instincts may be regarded as the last resorts in these situations; however, if the parents feel something is amiss and their children are not behaving in a normal manner, they should seek opinions of clinical child psychologist or psychiatrist.

As UNC clinical psychologist Dr. Lauren Turner-Brown says, “All kids do some funny things. So it’s not that this particular behavior is all that unusual. But you can see that it’s causing a problem for him developmentally because it’s interfering with his ability to do other things. He’s not babbling. He’s not listening. He’s not looking at his mom or sharing his experience with her." Her main point is the fact that unusual things are easily noticeable when it comes to babies, however, parents need to be especially vigilant to notice things that are amiss.

Autism is currently being diagnosed at the ages of 3-6 years. It is important for parents to work side-by-side with teachers and pediatricians to uncover autistic signs as quickly as possible. Around the globe, various societies are dedicated to determining the cause of autism – to raise awareness of its possibilities and to inform parents of the best treatments available. Autism is a growing concern in today’s day and age. The most effective way to help autistic children is to be there for them and help them cope with this syndrome.

References:

1. Nancy D. Wiseman (2007), Could It Be Autism?: A Parent's Guide to the First Signs and Next Steps

2. UNC School of Medicine, The First Year Inventory Parent Brief

3. Autism Speaks Foundation, Hunting for Autism's Earliest Clues by Ariel Bleicher

Author: Anna Kaminsky

Article reviewed by Dr. Tali Shenfield on Feb 11, 2015

Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/evilpeacock/4461901706