Others show little facial expression or have flat affect and rarely smile so you may not know when they’re happy. Some children with autism smile to show they’re happy but don’t share their enjoyment.

Rarely shares enjoyment with youīabies readily share enjoyment with you by smiling or laughing and looking at you. If it’s hard to get your baby to look at you, this can be an early sign of autism. Babies are motivated to be near you, look at your face, and linger on your eyes. It should be easy for you to get your baby to look at you. The early signs of autism can have a cascading effect on brain development and lead to significant social, language, and cognitive deficits, as well as challenging behaviors, if they’re not caught early. Autism can be diagnosed by 18-24 months, but it’s not usually diagnosed until 4-5 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be screened for autism at 18 and 24 months. The diagnosis is based on behavioral symptoms or features.

This article illustrates 16 early signs of autism that unfold from 9-16 months - to help you detect autism before it’s usually diagnosed.ĭiagnosing autism can be difficult because there are no medical or blood tests.

Autism can be diagnosed by 18-24 months but … it’s not usually diagnosed until 4-5 years.īy catching autism early, you can access intervention earlier and guide your child’s success. The early signs of autism are easy to miss.

Flat affect autism