Recognizing Early Signs of Autism

Things to watch out for:

• Not reacting to sounds: If your baby doesn’t react to loud noises or seems to ignore your voice.
• Ignoring faces: If your baby doesn’t seem interested in faces.
• Avoids eye contact: If it’s tough to catch your baby’s eye.

‍

Toddlers (1–3 years)

Typical behaviors:

• Let’s pretend: Most toddlers love to play make-believe games, like pretending to cook or talk on the phone.
• Starting to speak: Saying individual words by 16 months and putting words together by age 2 is typical.
• Interested in other kids: At this age, many kids start showing interest in playing with others.
• Copycats: Toddlers often mimic what grown-ups and older kids are doing, which is a good sign.

Things to watch out for:

• No pointing or waving: If your toddler isn’t making simple gestures by 12 months.
• Delayed talking: If your child isn’t saying much by her second birthday.
• Loss of skills: If your toddler suddenly stops talking or doing things he used to do.
• Stuck on routine: If your toddler gets really upset when things change.

Preschool (3–5 years)

Typical behaviors:

• Imaginary friends and scenarios: Playing house or having imaginary friends shows your child’s mind is expanding.
• Curious minds: If your child starts asking “why?” a lot, that’s usually a good sign.
• Talking about feelings: Around this age, kids can usually tell you if they’re happy or sad.
• Following simple rules: Many kids this age understand basic rules like taking turns.

Things to watch out for:

• Lacking empathy: If your child doesn’t seem to understand how others feel.
• Trouble playing pretend: Struggling with imaginative games.
• Repeating actions: If your child keeps doing the same thing over and over, like flapping her hands.
• Trouble expressing themselves: If it’s hard for your child to tell you what he needs or how he feels.

School age (6–12 years)

Typical behaviors:

• Friends and teams: Making friends and wanting to be a part of group games is common at this stage.
• Good listeners: Most kids this age can follow more instructions that include multiple steps.
• Sense of time: Your child likely understands the idea of morning, afternoon, and night, as well as other time-related ideas.

Things to watch out for:

• Missing social cues: If your child struggles to understand social signs, such as when someone is joking.
• Trouble with empathy: Struggling to understand how others feel.
• Focused too much on one thing: An extreme focus on a single topic.
• Overreacts or underreacts to pain or noise: Reacting too much or too little to sensations like pain or loud noises.