at what age can I determine if a child is autistic?

Question

first symptoms, please

Answer 1

We could tell with my son when he was four months old, but we thought it was deafness. Some people don't realize they have autism til they're adults. Here's a site with some signs & symptoms http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis_characteristics

Answer 2

My son was an angelic baby - always smiling and laughing, never crying. He was late walking, and I started worrying when he didn't talk. He would often not respond at all to noises, leading us to believe he might have hearing trouble.

He would take us by the hand to lead us to things rather than try to tell us. At about 2 and a half he had maybe 30 unclear 'words'.

He was very clingy, and by about 18 months, was having terrible tantrums, where he would bang his head on the floor, or any other hard surface. I couldn't leave him with anyone, as he would lash out, hit them, and have tantrums. His language failed to improve, and he forgot all the words he had learned previously, instead of building on his vocabulary. He couldn't put two words together for a long time. He may have been 3 and a half when he did this. His receptive language was always poor - he couldn't understand what you were saying to him.

He was very routine-driven from a very early age. He would go beserk if something was different or unexpected, like turning the car around when taking a wrong turn, or going a route he didn't like.

He was diagnosed autistic at 4, although by then he was already attending a special needs nursery with trained staff. He is now 5, and will be 6 in April. He attends a special school. His language has improved enormously, but a lot of what he says is taken from TV, or the computer.

Not all autistic children are withdrawn. My son is very loving, has a great sense of humour, and is always laughing, and gives hugs and kisses. His eye contact is also very good.

A diagnosis of autism doesn't just come from a doctor. It is usually a combination of professionals, as well as the parents who decide together that that is the diagnosis. Teachers, carers, and health professionals combined have to agree. In my son's case, it was suspected from about the age of 3, but he wasn't ticking all the boxes. By 4, he was.

Answer 3

I've heard four months is when some signs show up, but I've also heard that some babies can seem normal until months after that.

I see that someone offered you the link to the autism people, so that's the place to look for first symptoms. I do know the baby doesn't seem to be engaged (eye contact) and may not "mold" to his/her mother's body when held.

One comment: I had a friend who had a lot of children. Her third child (a girl) was a toddler when she noticed that child would go sit in a chair and rock and seem to be "removed" from what was going on. She said she was afraid her little girl (in her words, whether or not they were scientifically correct) "was slipping into autism". She made it a point to pay special attention and not let her toddler just sit and act removed and distant and rocking. The girl grew up to be normal. I'm not saying that a person can just prevent autism. What I'm saying is there are times a small child could show signs but not end up being autistic. What I don't know is whether my friend's efforts to "bring out" her toddler made a difference or whether the girl would have been ok anyway.

Answer 4

I'm autistic, I believe that one of the more noticeable symptoms is that they do not associate well with people (little or no friends,trouble communicating).

Autism affects even babies, so just watch for these things, compare your child with other ones.

Answer 5

Autism is a spectrum disorder and symptoms would depend on the type. Usually there is a need to diagnose within the first 2 years or sooner so the child can receive as early educational and communication intervention. Talk with your child's pediatrician and get referred to a developmental specialist.


www.autism-society.org
www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm
www.autistics.org
http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw152184
www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm


Good luck I hope the information helps

Answer 6

after age 2 a child will not get autism.
You can tell if your kid is autistic if they dont seem to respond to you. For example if you do a funny dance for the kid they completely ignore you and dont even seem to notice.

Answer 7

One characteristic is outset and diagnosis of symptoms before the age of 3.