Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders
There is no single sign or symptom that a young child is presenting with, or is at risk of developing, an autism spectrum disorder. Rather, children present with a range of symptoms, including delayed or unusual language development, poor social development and rigid, repetitive behavior patterns.

Researchers are currently looking into the earliest possible “warning signs” that a child is at risk of developing ASD. While there are no conclusive signs, research has identified the lack of response to name by 12 months of age and the lack of sharing interests/attention by 18 months of age as two of the most critical symptoms of possible ASD.

Below is a list of some of the early symptoms that are commonly seen in children with ASD. Please note that this list is not meant to be used for making a diagnosis. Presence of one or even a few of these symptoms does not mean that a child does have ASD. However, if a child does present with several of the symptoms below, further evaluation may be warranted.

0 to 4 months of age:

• Little to no eye contact
• Does not look at people when they are making social “sounds” such as humming or clapping
• Shows more interest in objects than people
• Does not show a social smile (smiling back to someone who smiles at them, without being cooed at or touched)

5 to 12 months of age:

• Does not look at people while smiling (baby may smile in response to something fun, but does not also combine this with eye contact)
• Does not babble (or the babble does not sound like “talking”)
• Lacks joint attention: Does not look at something interesting, such as a dog, then look at parents, and then back at the dog as a way to get parents to join in looking at the dog
• Lacks social attention: Does not follow the parent’s eye contact when they are looking at something, such as whey they try to point out an airplane in the sky
• Does not respond to their own name
• Does not point using the index finger
• Does not show a caring or concerned reaction to other people crying

12 to 24 months of age:

• Does not point to share interests, such as pointing to a slide on the playground
• Does not use single words by 16 months: no two-word spontaneous phrases (“go car,” “look doggie”) by 24 months

Other Developmental Signs:

• May develop language normally and then lose these skills
• Repetitive body movements (hand flapping, spinning)
• Fixation upon a single object, such as a red block or a toy school bus
• Cannot tolerate change, such as a new toothbrush or Mom getting a new haircut
• Oversensitivity to texture, lights, smells and/or sounds
• Delayed motor skills (late walking, riding a tricycle or learning to jump)
• Does not interact with peers as expected, such as asking for friends to come over, playing together, taking turns and interacting