I’ve worked with many neurotypical kids before and parents were always concerned and looking for early signs of autism. Usually the child is too young to be officially diagnosed with autism or add/adhd. However, after working with and caring for children on the spectrum, I had the chance to view autism close up.
So here are some early signs that your kid might be on the spectrum:
1. Not responding to their name
This one is an obvious one. It’s different from a child having hearing problems, purposely ignoring you, or not wanting to engage. With kids with autism, there is a disconnect where the acknowledgment/ awareness of another person around them is almost nonexistent or minimal. For example, you call out the child’s name out multiple times but there is no reaction. However, when you sing or try to catch their attention with their favorite object, and the acknowledgment is there then there might be a change that the child is on a spectrum.
2. Minimum or no eye contact or environment awareness
It’s almost like the child is looking through you. Do they even notice that you’re around? Do they acknowledge your presence? Is there excitement or a change in mood when you greet them after coming home from work? Kids with autism are indifferent to their caretakers. It’s hard to say how they are feeling or if they even know that you’re there due to their lack of eye contact and engagement. One of the kids I was working with, had no reaction to the parents coming home after a long day of being gone. The child would continue whatever he was doing like stimming (pacing back and forth) or be in his own world even after being greeted with excitement by the parents.
3. Not being able to point or failing to look where someone is pointing
There is minimum coordination between the brain and body movements. Simple things like pointing can be hard. Not looking when someone is pointing somewhere can also be a sign of the child being on the spectrum. When the child qualifies for services and if you choose to go the ABA route, the therapist will consistently be working on pointing especially if the child is non-verbal. Being able to point can help a non-verbal child to communicate by pointing to pictures or object of desire.
4. Attachment to certain objects or toys
The child may line his toys or be attached to specific objects without necessarily playing with them. They might hold it in their hand and take it everywhere with them.
5. Repetitive behavior aka stimming
Pacing back and forth, Saying the same thing over and over again, flapping hands, etc are all part of stimming. I had a child that would not sit still. He would constantly pace back in forth with objects in his hand and was unable to focus on one thing.
6. Sensory issues
This can cause problems when it comes to food or brushing teeth, for example. Clothing or labels might also be triggering. With younger toddlers you will usually have trouble feeding them certain foods or keeping their diaper on because it doesn’t feel pleasant to a child with sensory problems.
7. Delayed motor skills
This can usually be seen when there is trouble walking steady or not being able to walk at all. Difficulty feeding themselves or being able to hold a spoon or cup without assistance.
8. Speech Delay
Speech is the easiest sign to notice. If the child is not talking by a certain age, this obviously needs to be evaluated. For children with autism, there is a whole spectrum. Some are completely non-verbal while some just show sign of difficulty in speech.
9. Inability to focus/ sit still / follow instructions
This will be easier to notice as the child grows older. For example, by the age of 2, a child can sit down for a significant period of time when instructed to do so and focus on one task. With a child with autism, you will notice that it is hard to keep the focus on one thing. It might be hard to sit down and finish a meal, read a book, or watch a video without the child getting distracted or getting frustrated.
10. Hyper-focus
If the child finds something that caught their attention, there will be a tendency to hyper-focus on that one specific object. For example your child might be fixated with trying to peel a sticker of the wall. You try everything to distract them; offer a toy, a new sticker, or even try to make eye contact but it fails because the child is stuck on one particular thing and it’s almost impossible to shift focus.
