What Are the Signs of Autism in Infants?

There are many different signs of autism in infants that can lead to a diagnosis. Since there is no know cause of autism the only way to diagnose it early is to know the signs of autism in infants. If you know what to look for you can catch it early on and start treatment and therapies immediately.

Since the signs of autism in infants can start at the age of six months, you should begin looking for them right away. Normally, by the age of three months your child will have made eye contact. Some may take a little longer to do this but if by six months your child has not made any eye contact is could be a sign of autism in the infant. Another sign of autism in infant is lack of verbal communication. Of course your baby is not going to have a full conversation with you, but by about six months your baby should be making some type of baby talk. If the infant has not started doing this could be a sign of autism in the infant. Another common sign is not responding to their name. Usually babies recognize their name by about six months. So if not, it could be a sign that autism is present. Lack of facial expressions and gestures is also a sign. An autistic baby may not smile or show any type of joy.

When the infant gets a little older and able to explore on their own there could be some other signs of autism in the infant. If the baby does not look for you or show any affection towards you it could very well be a sign. Autistic child lack affection and tend to fend for themselves. They do not seek a parental figure or affection from loved ones. Seeing how the baby reacts to toys could also help you determine if autism is present. If they are very distinct about how a toy should be played with it could be a sign. If they have to have their dolls lined up a certain way, or theirs block stacked on top of each other and they become upset if this does not happen it is a very big sign of autism in the infant.

Since there is no way to diagnose autism knowing the signs of autism in infants is very important. If you are able to diagnose it at a young age you will be able to get the autism under control and may prevent other symptoms from forming.