Early Signs of Autism in Infants
http://www.psychologistinlahore.com/
It seems as if autism is always making headlines, with new research pointing to the many risk factors and new tests that make it possible to detect the condition even earlier. In a recent study from Children's Hospital Boston, doctors analysed the brain activity of at-risk 9-month-olds (at risk because they have an older autistic sibling) to try to determine what signs will predict whether they will develop autism. That test isn't widely available yet, and right now official diagnoses of autism aren't usually given until kids reach age 2 or 3. But parents can be on the lookout for signs much sooner. “Early discovery and intervention can make a huge difference, so be aware of any delays your baby is experiencing and discuss them with your paediatrician.
Source: Saba Shabbir Sheikh-Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Contact for Appointment:03008142763
http://www.psychologistinlahore.com/
Below are possible warning signs in children from age 2 months to 2 years;
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Autism: Early Sign and Symptoms in Infants |
if you observe any of these, talk to your doctor, who will then decide whether more testing is necessary. Don't fret if you occasionally see one or two of these—it could be another type of language, learning, or behavior problem, or even nothing at all.
By 2 to 3 months
Your baby isn't making frequent eye contact.
By 3 months
He isn't smiling at you.
By 6 months
He doesn't laugh.
BY around 8 months
He isn't following your gaze when you look away from him.
By 9 months
He hasn't begun to babble.
By 1 year
He isn't consistently turning to you when you call his name.
He hasn't begun to wave bye-bye.
By 12 to 14 month
He hasn't said a single word.
By 14 months
He isn't pointing to show interest.
By 18 months
He doesn't play “pretend.”
for more information and treatment source:
Source: Saba Shabbir Sheikh-Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Contact for Appointment:03008142763
http://www.psychologistinlahore.com/
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are very different from each other. One child might have only a few characteristics, and another might have many. In very young children, it can be hard to detect the early signs. But infants with ASD do develop differently from other infants, and there are some ‘red flags’ to watch out for.
Autism spectrum disorder and early development
Children all develop at different rates. Development is monitored by checking whether children are achieving various important milestones, which can be physical, emotional, social, linguistic or behavioural.
During the first year, monitoring a child’s social communication development is especially important for spotting early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Watching for behaviour such as smiling, eye contact, and the use of gestures can help you gauge your child’s development.
case study
When my son was 18 months old, a friend brought her nine-month-old baby to our house. I had so much fun with the baby – there was this constant interaction between us. I realised this was completely absent from my own little boy.
– Anna, mother of Lachlan, aged four
Early signs of autism spectrum disorder
Some early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – usually seen in the first two years – are listed below.
Some children will have many of these early warning signs, whereas others might have only a few. Some behaviour signs can change over time, or become clearer as the child gets older. Also, any loss of social or language skills during this period is cause for concern.
The number of signs in each category varies according to the age of the child and how severely the child is affected.
Source: Saba Shabbir Sheikh-Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Contact for Appointment:03008142763
http://www.psychologistinlahore.com/
Social communication red flags
The child:
- doesn’t point to or hold up objects to show people things, share an experience or show that she wants something – for example, she doesn’t point to a dog and look back at you to make sure you’ve seen it too, or she’ll drop a toy in your lap and walk away instead of holding it up and looking at you
- doesn’t use eye contact to get someone’s attention – for example, she doesn’t look at a parent then at a snack to show she wants it
- doesn’t consistently respond to her name
- doesn’t smile at caregivers without first being smiled at or tickled
- doesn’t use gestures on her own – for example, she doesn’t wave bye-bye without being told to, or without copying someone else who is waving
- doesn’t show interest in other children
- doesn’t start games such as peekaboo or patty cake
- doesn’t engage in pretend play – for example, she doesn’t feed her teddy bear
- doesn’t sound like she’s having a conversation with you when she babbles
- doesn’t understand simple one-step instructions – for example, `Give the block to me’, or `Show me the dog’
- copies what she hears from others or from the TV – for example, when you ask if she wants more drink, she echoes back `more drink’.
Source: Saba Shabbir Sheikh-Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Contact for Appointment:03008142763
http://www.psychologistinlahore.com/
Behaviour red flags
The child:
- has an intense interest in certain objects and becomes ‘stuck’ on particular toys or objects – for example, he will flick the light switch off and on repeatedly, or will play only with cars
- interacts with toys and objects in one particular way, rather than more broadly or in the way they were intended to be played with – for example, turning the wheels of a toy car or lining up objects
- is very interested in unusual objects or activities – for example, drains, metal objects, or watching a specific ad on TV
- focuses narrowly on objects and activities, such as turning the wheels of a toy car or lining up objects
- is easily upset by change and must follow routines – for example, sleeping, feeding or leaving the house must be done in the same way every time
- repeats body movements or has unusual body movements, such as back-arching, hand-flapping and walking on his toes
- is extremely sensitive to sensory experiences – for example, is easily upset by certain sounds, or will eat only foods with a certain texture
- seeks sensory stimulation – for example, rubs objects on his mouth, or face, or seeks vibrating objects like washing machines, or flutters his fingers to the side of his eyes to watch the light flicker.
- If your child is showing some or many of the behaviours from the social communication and behaviour areas above, talk to your health care provider about a developmental assessment as soon as possible. Finding out for sure is the first step towards helping your child and getting services and support suited to her needs
Source: Saba Shabbir Sheikh-Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Contact for Appointment:03008142763
http://www.psychologistinlahore.com/
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