Early Signs of Autism in Young Children: What to Notice and When to Seek Support

Good to know ⬇️

You can't diagnose Autism from a blog, but it's important to be aware of SOME of the things you might observe and think about if your intuition tells you your child is a little different.

Possible Early Signs of Autism: Up to 12 Months Old

1️⃣ Reduced social smiling and limited variation of facial expressions

2️⃣ Sensitivity to loud noises or disinterest in sounds around them

3️⃣ Limited babbling or vocal play like giggling or squealing

4️⃣ Avoidance of eye contact, more interested in objects than people

5️⃣ Doesn’t use gestures like pointing, nodding/shaking their head, or reaching

Possible Signs of Autism: Up to 2 Years of Age

1️⃣ Rarely points to show someone something
(May only point to get things they want)

2️⃣ Expressive language delay or language regression
(By age 2, we’d typically expect children to be combining two words)

3️⃣ Rarely takes turns in play or social interactions

4️⃣ Likes things to be a certain way and struggles with change
For example: specific food preferences or difficulty with transitions

5️⃣ Shows some repetitive play patterns and movements - doing things the same way every time or becoming engrossed in specific areas of interest.

Understanding Autism as a Spectrum 🌈

Autism Spectrum Disorder is exactly that — a spectrum. It’s not a straight line from “not autistic” to “autistic”.

It’s more like a vibrant colour palette of characteristics that an autistic person may or may not have, including:

- Social differences

- Language differences

- Sensory differences

- Repetitive behaviours

Some traits create difficulty in everyday life, and some traits can be very useful. A child doesn't need to have all or even most if the differences I've listed - these are just some common ones.