what are the FIRST signs of autism? serious replys only -thank you?

Question

baby is 20 mths old

Answer 1

Speech problems get most of the attention but there can be many causes for speech problems or delays.

I personally think lack of eye contact is one of the more telling symptoms of autism.

Answer 2

Hello!

My son is 20 months, diagnosed at 18 months with PDD-NOS.

Autism symptoms often increase between the ages of 1-2.

Autism is a spectrum disorder, in which symptoms and degrees of severity can all range from very mild to very severe. Keep this in mind whenever you read what "autism symptoms" are.

My son is high functioning with good social skills (for being autistic).

At 18 months, my son spoke 2 words.
High threshold for pain
Guarded walk (arms held at sides, bent at 90 degrees with hands in fists or turned towards body)
Occasional toe walking
Uninterested in other children (sister included) and would fuss if anyone but my husband and I would invade his space
Seldom displayed affection, which would only occur if we DID something for him (he used us as tools).

**EYE CONTACT** and the lack thereof is a common misconception of autism. We kept telling ourselves that he couldn't be autistic because he would look us in the eye.

It is true that autistic children will avoid eye contact, but again... this is a spectrum disorder and not ALL children will avoid eye contact... my son will glance into your eyes, then focus on your nose. :)

Talk to your pediatrician about any concerns, and ask for a number to your local Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program for an assessment. This can also be found on the internet by typing in ITEIP and your state. This program will find if your child has any delays in development, and is NOT a diagnosis.

Early intervention is the BEST thing you can do for autism.

Answer 3

I can tell you in our case, the two biggest clues were 1) little to no speech by age two (and the few words he said around 18 months - he stopped saying them), and 2) it seemed like he was deaf - like he couldn't hear us. And he lined everything up. If you have any concerns at all, I'd recommend making an appointment with a developmental pediatrician or a psychologist who specializes in child developmental issues. Good luck!

Here is info from the Cure Autism Now website:

Loss or lack of speech around 18 months of age.
Little or no eye contact.
Loss or lack of gestures, such as pointing or waving.
Repetitive speech or actions.
Unusual reactions to the way things look, feel, smell, taste or sound.

Answer 4

At 6 months:
• Not making eye contact with parents
during interaction.
• Not cooing or babbling.
• Not smiling when parents smile.
• Not participating in vocal turn-taking
(baby makes a sound, adult makes a
sound, and so forth).
• Not responding to peek-a-boo game.
At 12 months:
• No attempts to speak.
• Not pointing, waving or grasping.
• No response when name is called.
• Indifferent to others.
• Repetitive body motions such as rocking
or hand fl apping.
• Fixation on a single object.
• Oversensitivity to textures, smells,
sounds.
• Strong resistance to change in routine.
• Any loss of language.
At 24 months:
• Does not initiate two-word phrases (that
is, doesn’t just echo words).
• Any loss of words or developmental skill.
Source: Rebecca Landa, Center for Autism and
Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger
Institute, Baltimore.
Early Signs of Autism:
Signs and symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome include:
• Engaging in one-sided, long-winded conversations, without noticing if the listener is
listening or trying to change the subject
• Displaying unusual nonverbal communication, such as lack of eye contact, few facial
expressions, or awkward body postures and gestures
• Showing an intense obsession with one or two specifi c, narrow subjects, such as
baseball statistics, train schedules, weather or snakes
• Appearing not to understand, empathize with, or be sensitive to others’ feelings
• Having a hard time "reading" other people or understanding humor
• Speaking in a voice that is monotonous, rigid or unusually fast
• Moving clumsily, with poor coordination
• Having an odd posture or a rigid gait

can't remember exactly where I copied this from; but saved it to help others.
best wishes

Answer 5

Some kids do not want to be touched and withdraw from any contact. Others do not look at you ( looks sideways). Delays in reaching developmental milestones, like sitting up, crawling, walking, talking, etc. The danger signs is regression of skills previously learned. Repetative behaviors like opening and closing doors or looking at objects for long periods of time. Lining up objects such as toys or newspapers. Sleep disturbances like going to sleep for a few hours and staying awake for the rest of the day. Some kids get tremors or seizures. These are some of the early signs.

Answer 6

Hi! I have an infant who was diagnosed with autism at 13 1/2 months of age. He is now 15 1/2 months. There were several first signs that I saw in my son.
1) He did not respond hardly ever when we called his name
2) Refused to be involved with self feeding(had a severe aversion to spoons!)
3) He did very repetitive things (like spinning wheels, bang cabinet doors, scratch the wall, repeat!) for long periods of time
4) He definitely preferred being by himself
5) Had normal baby "Babble" then lost it. No verbal language with meaning.(Such as Mama, Dada, Bottle, Doggy, etc)
6) NO POINTING and NO WAVING.(This was a big one - he uses his thumb for everything, and doesn't respond when you point at something. It's like he's not interested in sharing opinions!) He also doesn't "get" the idea of bye-bye and hello.
7) Lack of eye contact. He would do anything not to look you in the eye.
Early on, he seemed absolutely normal. After a few rounds of vaccinations, at about 12 months, these symptoms started. I called a pediatric neurologist and was able to get him in exceptionally fast. (within 3 days of my phone call) We now have him on Gluten Free diet, and will be going Cassein free as soon as he's off formula. He is also getting Speech, Developmental, and Occupational therapy with sensory integration 5 hours a week. We really want to up the therapy hours, but right now, I'm working with him an additional 10-15 hours weekly on things I learn from our therapists. We are searching for a DAN(Defeat Autism Now) doctor. I would really advise trying to get your baby evaluated by a qualified professional ASAP if you are concerned. My husband thought I was absolutely crazy. He really did NOT want me to take him to the doctor. I really hoped the doctor would laugh at me and send me home with my "NORMAL" son. It didn't work our that way. It's very hard to accept there is a problem, but once you know for sure, you can set your mind at trying to find a solution! In our case, our son is now feeding himself with a spoon, and actually starting to repeat a few words. He appears to be more social now, and initiates games of "chase" and "peekaboo". This is only 2 months into treatment! Who knows where his potential will end???

Answer 7

I was watching Dr.Phil with my cousin (who has a 7 month old) and there was a specialist that said you could tell if your baby has autism by looking at what he looks at when people talk to him - if he looks at their mouth he could have autism , if he looks at their eyes he should be healthy/normal

Answer 8

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/a/autism/symptoms.htm
This looks like a good site, I have a cousin who's son has autism. He's in his thirties now and wasn't diagnosed till after he was three.

Answer 9

some signs you caould look for is sharp hearing. sometimes kids with autism can hear very sharp. also you might want to analyze how he plays with his toys or how he observes things in a certain enviroment.

Answer 10

Withdrawal of affection.