Autism is a psychiatric disorder found in the brains of young children, normally before three years old. Characteristics of it are shown by a deficit in communication, social interaction, flights of fantasy, and abnormal behavior, like attachment to certain objects and repetitive acts. It’s also associated with impaired intellect. Determining the early signs in a child will go a long way towards obtaining effective treatment.

Autism has no known cause, no known cure, and few effective treatments of its symptoms. Autism comes in varied severities, called autism spectrum disorder, the milder of which is called Asperger’s Syndrome. It affects many parts of the brain.

Currently, there are five early signs of autism. These are telltale signs to the parent or caregiver that something is wrong and that the child may have a problem.

1. Baby doesn’t respond to their name being called by their parent                      

Normally, babies respond to their own name by looking at who called them and smiling or just looking. This is especially done to the parents, whom the baby has formed a bond with.

Autistic babies usually look at the ‘caller’ only about 20% of the time, with a similar response to sounds. Some parents have thought of this as a sign of hearing loss.

2. Does the baby look at the same thing the parent is looking at?

At around 12 months old, babies engage in the ’show’ portion of the ’show and tell’ game. They may show their parent their toy, for example. They also are known to point to objects, such as a plane flying overhead, and look at objects pointed to by the parent.

Autistic babies have a particular difficulty showing these abilities. They also tend not to look back and forth between object and parent like the other children.

3. Does the baby imitate the parent?

Babies are mimics. By 8 - 10 months, the baby imitates the parent when clapping, gesturing or other movements.

Autistic children tend to imitate less with objects and with body and facial movements.

4. Does the baby respond emotionally to others?

Babies cry when others cry. They laugh when others laugh. They give an emotional response to an emotional outbreak.

Autistic babies generally show no emotional response to others. They may ignore or seem unaware of the emotions of others.

5. Does the baby play pretend?

Children pretend. It is creativity in its purest form. They may pretend to be someone else, such as mommy,daddy, a policeman or a firefighter. They may pretend to be somewhere else, also. They pretend to feed their dolls, eat food from empty bowl with a sroon, drink from an empty cup,etc..

Autistic babies don’t engage in pretend play. They seem to lack the ability to do so, especially in children under 2 years old.

If you recognize that your child may be deficient in any of these traits, they may be experiencing early symptoms of autism. While this may not be a guarantee, please have your child screened for autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. Early diagnosis of these early signs of autism can go a long way towards obtaining effective long lasting treatment that can improve the life of your child, and yourself as well.