Signs of Autism at 1 Year Old EVERYONE Should Know
early signs of autism
10 Early Signs of Autism (UPDATED)
For more on early signs of autism have a look at our previous blog here.
Autism and Parenting Part Four – What first gave you the idea that your child might be on the autism spectrum?
Characteristics of Autism
A few days ago I asked this very question on our Facebook page AutismTalk. Three days later that have been over 500 responses with literally hundreds of interleaved comments. So clearly it is one of the most valuable of the conversation we have run.
Due to the , rather, transitory nature of social media we though it would be useful to keep some of the comments and use them as the basis of a discussion blog. It would be great if you could use the comment boxes at the bottom of this post to share your answer to the question “What first gave you the idea that your child might be on the autism spectrum?”.
I have covered our son’s diagnosis on this blog before. You can read John’s story here. It is worth mentioning that John was recessive and the first sign of classic autism really only became apparent when he was two. In his case this was loosing much of his ability to speak which had been pretty typical of a developing child up to that point.
Looking at our responders there seems to be a very wide range of symptoms and signs of autism.
Jade, for example shared “I had 3 children under three. My Autistic son was the middle child.
I could see the girls thriving, playing, talking, looking at me and my son did none of that.
He didn’t say his first word till he was 4 and a half, he wouldn’t and still doesn’t make eye contact, he didn’t comprehend what I was saying or asking of him. He threw some mega tantrums ( he was frustrated and trapped in his own world) He hated loud noises and bright nights. He didn’t and doesn’t like to be touched or hugged. Couldn’t stand not to have socks on, he hated the feel of the carpet, grass or sand on his feet. It was very scary for me, I was a single mum when he was diagnosed, no one in my family knew anything about Autism and their was very little support in my area. My son is almost 17 and doing amazingly”
While Tammy was brief and to the point. “No eye contact and lining up toys” In fact another of John’s early symptoms was loss of eye contact!
For Derek “Not pointing or following others point. Lack of shared enjoyment. Very little babbling. Food aversion, and dislike of food utensils in mouth. Sound & light sensitivity. Meltdowns in shopping centres! All this before 12 months. We did DIR Floortime with him and everything changed.
Now at 6 he is unrecognisable in some ways. He’s bright, bubbly, friendly (dare I say popular), polite, helpful and lovely. Still autistic, and still has many challenges, but also has amazing strengths. Don’t give up on your kids!”
“Speech was repetitive starting at around age 2, lined up his toys, and covered his ears when we sang happy birthday to him at age 2.” said Jaclyn.
Dawn mentioned our old friend “Hand flapping, toe walking, and lack of speech and eye contact at 12 mos old”.
Even some symptoms did not have an immediate impact for Dawn “No speech and only babbling at 3.5, but even then I still had my head in the sand about a diagnosis of ASD”.
Shawn was helped by her mother “My mom, she was a manager in a public school cafeteria. She saw a older child who display similar characteristics to my son who only 2 at the time. Before she uttered it 11 yrs ago I had never even heard of the word! May she rest in peace. u mom & thx for everything.”
” I knew absolutely nothing about autism but my daughter always seemed different. She had no interest in learning, words came and went, some people asked me if she was deaf, she loved to spend hours throwing things over things, and she just always seemed to live in her own little world. I’m very grateful that I have always been included in her little world even though most are not.” mentioned Dixie.
Calre some was spotted by “A health professional from our schools team when I tried to get my boy some counselling help for his ‘outbursts’ or ‘meltdowns’. She recognised it, talked it through with me about making an assessment referral and all the pieces fell into place. My handsome young man was diagnosed as high functioning autistic just before his 11th birthday. Strangely, it’s made life easier :))). Maybe that’s because we all understand a little bit more each day x”
While there are many many more I would like to end with Christine’s moving post “This might sound kind of weird – but I knew from the first day that my daughter was different. My daughter always seemed so far away and “wise” compared to other babies. She scared away the little old ladies looking into the pram or into her crib at home, trying to catch her attention by just looking through them very seriously. She didn’t crawl but on her first birthday she started shuffeling around on her bottom and didn’t try to stand up before she was 19 months old but then all of sudden she stood up and walked without falling even once. She always talked to her cats and dogs more than she did to other people. As a child she didn’t talk to strangers at all, even if these strangers were her teachers. My daughter is 19 today, she has Asperger’s and her “therapy” are our family animals (cats, dogs, chickens, horses) and she works at a horse farm, training young horses and even drives visitors around with a horse-drawn carriage with two horses. In that surrounding she can even talk to the people on her carriage and engage in conversation with strangers. 12 years of school resp. college were very hard and stressful, although she never lacked intelligence – until a little more than a year ago she decided, that she didn’t want to go to University but only work with horses. So she quit school and took on an apprenticeship on that horse farm… Our children on the spectrum are challenged, we are challenged to guide them into their lives – and they teach us and other people around them so much “.
So over to you. What was the first thing that made you think that your child was on the spectrum. It would be great if you could add your comments to the comments box below.
Thanks very much in advance.
| BrittanyHayden | My son is almost 18 months, with an appointment later this month to be tested for Autism… he was low birthweight (5 15) at birth, and had IUGR. He was “normal” for about the first year of his life except he made his milestones later than normal. By his first birthday, he could say two words. In between then and now, he lost those two words, gained three more and is halfway losing one more. One of the words he learned around 16-18 months was “donald duck” which he got from tv, not me. His head is too large for his weight and height. He won’t eat alot of foods. When we were at his appointment in July, before they referred him to EI, he was spinning on the floor on his butt over and over flapping his hands. He can’t walk at all, can only stand for a few seconds. He can’t climb anything like furniture. He doesn’t respond to his name about 50% of the time sometimes more, and has a blank look on his face. He stares at walls, or things. He will play with the same thing or play the same song over and over again. He will open and close doors. If a door is open, he HAS to close it. He has alot of sleep problems. He will not sleep without a pacifier. He will not get through the day without a pacifier. He gets over stimulated. He bangs his head against the wall. He bites people. He will let someone pick him up and smile at them to get them to pick him up, but when they do, he will not make eye contact. He will only say the few words he knows if you ask him to… so basically he is just copying those 2-3 words. He eats pretty good, but only wants to eat maybe once or twice a day, otherwise he will throw the food and not eat it. He is terrified of a vacuum, dogs barking… he hates hearing babies cry esp newborns. He throws his toys… I mean he throws them more than playing with them. I don’t think he has the motor skills to line things up so he throws stuff. It doesn’t matter if he hits you or not, he doesn’t care. He plays with keys, remotes, phones, the buckles on his highchair, swing, etc. He shakes his head a lot. He doesn’t understand “no”. He will NOT say anymore words then the words he has. We’ve tried. He is aggressive, he will slap you in the face, he will bite, pinch, scratch you. He has GI problems. He will get over stimulated when playing and will start stimming (flapping his hands and arms over and over). I got the M-CHART-R, the 18 month questionnaire and the other questionnaire in yesterday and filled them out, and on the M-CHART he scored AT RISK FOR AUTISM. On the 18 month questionnaire, he scored in the black area for everything except fine motor. So, basically he needs help with communication (scored 5 out of 60) gross motor (scored 5 out of 60) personal-social (scored 25 out of 60) and problem solving, he scored 20 out of 60. He has a lot of the problems they ask about on the other questionnaire. He doesn’t play with any children but his sister… he will get excited to see them but won’t play with them or talk to them except babble. He doesn’t understand most simple commands. When I point at something, he won’t look at it.if anyone can help, please email me at brittany_hayden@ymail.com or I am on Facebook. Thanks. |
| Shawnamj | We are waiting for our appointment with the developmental pediatrician for my son’s evaluation. In the meantime el is coming out and working with him starting in two weeks. Gage turned two in August and there have been several signs early on. I had Gage later in life (at 36) and was never really around other children to know any different. He was my first diaper change and everything baby related. He never responded to his name. I questioned it but I was told maybe hes distracted or he will eventually come around.He hit all his milestones on time. He said mama, Dada, bye,up and would wave goodbye. He wouldn’t look when I pointed at things but I never really thought anything about it. Hes always had good eye contact and loves being around people especially kids. Around 18 months when his brother was born he stopped talking and using silverware. He will only eat certain foods and gags when I try to introduce something new. He teeth grinds all day long and can jump for hours screeching and babbling. He gives hugs and affection on his terms and time but that makes it all the more sweeter. I see improvements, he starting to come around with his 7 month old brother by kissing him on the head or bringing him toys. Im just ready to start the journey of learning how to help him the best I can. |
| ButterflyMomma | With my oldest son, now 10, the signs weren’t as obvious. He did the arm flapping, was slow to talk (around 2 years old), and doesn’t make great eye contact (but not so little as to really get your attention). He did circles when talking excitedly and struggles to understand why some kids tease or bully him. He was diagnosed in 2nd grade, when his amazing teacher recommended it. I was in denial from the start, so was my husband and my Mom. Over the last three years though, I’ve begun to accept and support his diagnosis. He receives therapy through the school and has blossomed because of it. Now, we are having our twins examined because at almost two years old, both are nonverbal, doing circles, heavily sensory, and stare off into space with little to no eye contact. At least this time around, I feel prepared. |
| ClaudiaGabrielaMiller | Many tantrums. Walked at 8 1/2 months. Food sensitivity. Could not hold him in arms like regular babies as far as.I can remember he wiggled into upright position not laying down. Threw up frequently because he would often over eat. Freakishly strong as.a.toddler. Piled or lined up toys for long periods of time. If.tbey fell or.moved.would have a meltdown and then go back to task. Walks a little hunched. Flaps.hands. he is 11 1/2 and still.wets bed. So of.course now we.can.go on and on about different behavior |
| KimberlynCanga | Going to my son’a 18 month check receiving the MCHAT to fill out and realizing I was checking off mostly No’s… I said to my fiancé , I think we need to ask the doctor if we should worry..? I asked the doctor and he reassured me Mason looks fine I shouldn’t worry….2 came and he wasn’t really saying much, making noises instead of pointing when he wanted something.. It became so routine we knew what he wanted so we didn’t really push him to “use his words” I continued to observe him and noticed little quirks like staring for long seconds or even up to a minute, getting dressed. Finger tapping on hiis chest, not making direct eye contact then 3 came an d he still was at 2-3 word sentences so I moved/called around and got him Iin to get assessed by a specialist I had to wait almost 6 months to see the specialist finally at age 4 he was diagnosed with ASD… My Mason is wonderful, smart, unique,lovable, also very popular and getting his speech therapy 2 times a week.. |
| JessicaWebster1 | My 2nd son hit 2 and a half and was still completely non-verbal. He ran around in circles a lot. Had huge “tantrums” all the time. We didn’t think much of it, especially as we knew nothing about autism. I watched that movie “Adam” one night and despite the significant differences due to age, the similarities in minor nuances blew me away. So I asked my mother-in-law what she thought (I am very close to her and value her opinion) and she agreed with my husband and I that we should take him to see someone. He was always the odd one. Never played with other kids. No eye contact. A little OCD and some other stuff that I just can’t really explain, but clearly made him different to my other children. In the weeks between making the pediatrician appointment, and actually going he “crashed” really bad and the signs were extremely noticeable by then. |
Does my child have autism? What are the signs and symptoms of autism? Check out these useful pointers in a guest post from Sonya Doherty.
Dr. Sonya Doherty
Welcome to our latest guest post from Dr. Sonya Doherty. You can read the original post on her blog here. Dr. Sonya Doherty is a licensed and board certified Naturopathic Doctor who is an active member of the CAND. Sonya Doherty completed her undergraduate training at the University of Western Ontario in a Bachelor of Science Honors Kinesiology program.
Please note that guest posts on this blog do not always reflect the views of PatientTalk.Org and we repost to promote discussion among our readers.
Doherty writes “It is estimated that 1 in 6 Canadian children has a developmental delay. The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased over 2000% in the last 10 years. Up 30% in the last two years alone. If this isn’t an epidemic, I don’t know what is. 1 in 68 children is now estimated to have ASD. Parents of young children are alarmed at these rapidly escalating rates of autism. More and more parents are worried that their toddler or preschooler has signs of autism or ADHD. If you are worried your child has autism, you are likely torn in two directions. One is directly into the ground, head buried, filled with terror. The other is frantically scouring the internet for more information. The reason I am writing this blog, is that autism is changing. Massive piles of incredible research lead by world renowned researchers, is showing that autism is PREVENTABLE, TREATABLE AND REVERSIBLE. This blog is for all the Moms and Dads up in the middle of the night trying to face the terrifying reality that their child may have developmental delays or a developmental disorder like autism or ADHD.
Eight years ago, I became a DAN! Doctor. DAN! doctors are experts in biomedical treatment. After training to become a naturopathic doctor in a four year post-graduate program, I realized that my passion was working with children who were diagnosed with autism. In the last 8 years, I have worked with thousands of children. Since my DAN! training many years ago, I have been completing my fellowship with the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs. The MAPS program trains health care providers to be the best in their field in assessing, treating and preventing autism. The MAPS program has been developed by leading physicians, scientists, researchers and experts in the fields of environmental medicine, gastrointestinal abnormalities, pediatrics, neurological disorders, genetics, nutrition and mitochondrial issues. It is the leading biomedical training program in the world and the only of its kind.
Our clinic has worked with parents to recover hundreds of children with autism. The DAN! and MAPS treatment protocols have helped to prevent hundreds of children from being diagnosed in my practice. Moms and Dads, who are up at night worrying, this blog is for you. This message is to you. DO NOT WAIT FOR YOUR PEDIATRICIAN TO DROP THE AUTISM BOMB. DO NOT WAIT FOR THE TEACHERS TO RECOMMEND YOUR CHILD SEEK TREATMENT FOR ADHD SYMPTOMS. Assess and treat developmental concerns the second you see them. Boys don’t speak later because they are boys. Boys often speak later because they are more at risk for being diagnosed with autism, ADHD and speech language delay. Your child should not have chronic diarrhea or constipation. PEG FLAKES do not heal the gut. Healthy digestion is required for healthy development. It is time to take action. About half the children in the US with an autism spectrum disorder are diagnosed at five or older but many parents are suspicious much earlier. If you suspect autism, if you are worried; take action.
So let’s take a look at signs and symptoms that could indicate your child needs support developmentally. Remember, early intervention is the key to helping your child. You do not need a diagnosis to get support for language, social or cognitive delay. If your child has “autistic” behaviours or has marked hyperactivity, acting now can dramatically change the course of their development.
Autism is a spectrum of closely related disorders with a shared core of symptoms. Autism symptoms appear in infancy and early childhood, causing delays in many basic areas of development such as learning to talk, make eye contact, play, and interact with others. The signs and symptoms of autism vary widely and some autistic children have only mild impairments, while others are impacted more severely. The three major areas of concerns in autism involve language, social and cognitive function. Many children with autism also have severe sensory issues.
Language delay is often the first sign parents act on when a child is on the autism spectrum. Language delay is very common and parents are able to take steps to support speech, language development without having to tackle the question of autism head-on. Two-year olds should speak in 2-3 word sentences or phrases that communicate their needs. Autism is a communication disorder, and since speech is the way to communicate, delayed speech may signal autism. Keep in mind; children who are eventually diagnosed with ADHD are often “late talkers”. Even children with hearing issues who are speech-delayed should still use vocal utterances and gestures or formal sign language to communicate.
Behaviours or symptoms that may be red flags for autism include:
Lack of eye contact
Lack of pretend or imaginary play
Lining up toys or severe transitional tantrums
No pointing or inability to imitate
Unusual behaviours
Toe walking
Chronic diarrhea or constipation (note that PEG flakes or other laxative treatments do not HEAL the gut; a healthy gut is required for healthy development)
Feeding issues including restricted diet
Sleep disturbance (many children with autism do not make enough melatonin and do not go to sleep at an age appropriate time)
Speech delay
Delayed play skills – not wanting to play with other children, not enticing parent into play or “checking in” with parents
Sensory issues – 90% of children with autism have sensory issues
Limited responsiveness – responding to their name will increase as your child gets older but many children with autism lack responsiveness
What can you do today (right now) to support your child’s development?
Talk to your child’s pediatrician about your concerns
Visit a developmental screening clinic (in Halton these clinics are DIEPP clinics hosted by the region)
Read Healing the New Childhood Epidemics by Dr. Kenneth Bock, M.D.
Then read The Autism Revolution by Dr. Martha Herbert, pediatric neurologist and professor at Harvard University
Get your child’s medical concerns assessed and treated. Digestive, sleep and immune issues decrease developmental potential. Sensory issues are painful and force children to withdraw from the world. Biomedical treatment of autism spectrum disorders and other developmental concerns, will dramatically improve language, social and cognitive development.
As a naturopathic doctor specializing in treatment and prevention of neurodevelopmental disorders; the most important thing for parents to do is to keep track of their child’s milestones. While all children hit milestones at slightly different times, it is crucial that infants, toddlers and children are gaining language, social and cognitive skills on schedule. As a parent, you never want to believe that your child has a developmental problem but when it comes to autism, catching it early makes an incredible difference. The younger your child, the greater the impact of treatment on symptoms of autism, ADD/HD, OCD, speech delay and Tourette Syndrome.
As a parent, you are the person to watch for early signs of developmental delay. It is crucial to track milestones, to take action if you are concerned and trust your instincts. I believe strongly that the “wait and watch” approach is the worst thing to do when it comes to developmental concerns. At the first sign of delay, seek out expert advice and get a plan in place to find out what is going on and how you can help your child gain skills more quickly.
If autism or other developmental concerns are addressed early there is a higher potential for the brain to heal because the brain has remarkable plasticity. Take action as soon as you can. Pull your head out of the sand, use all the information you have learned off google and get to the experts. Pediatricians, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists and MAPS trained naturopathic doctors can help. A lot. Biomedical treatment has the ability to change your child’s life.
Seek medical help if your child is not hitting the following milestones:
6 months – big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions
9 months – back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions
12 months – responding to their name being called
12 months – babbling or “baby talk”
12 months – back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving
16 months – meaningful words
24 months – meaningful two word phrases that don’t involve imitating or repeating”
Written by: Dr. Sonya Doherty, ND, FMAPS (Cand.), Natural Care Clinic
| sharonmcmahon | As a mother of an autistic child – I first noticed that my son was not retaining speech and seemed delayed in comparison to my elder child – she had about 10 words at 12 months and he had 2 – he stopped using the first word when he started the 2nd word. I took him to the local health care nurse at 12 months – when she asked if I had any concerns and I said yes “speech” she told me I was expecting too much.. He is a boy, 2nd child and only 12 months old – well… I should not have listened to her – I waited for another 6-8 months – giving her the benefit of the doubt – DO NOT DOUBT yourself. We had our diagnosis by the time he was 3.4 years old – it took a long time as we lived in the Pilbara (Karratha Western Australia) at the time – Paediatrians visited only every 3 months – and yes it was a nightmare. My son has made a lot of progress over the years – we have done ABA therapy and natural medicines also – homeopath, naturapath – it is very difficult to get him to take any form of medicine – but I am going to start again as we havent done naturaath/homeopath for the last couple of years – and yes I see the differences in him |
Autism and Eye Contact – Read up on Marcus Autism Center’s research into very early signs of autism
Marcus Autism Center
So a few weeks ago we ran a poll regarding people with autism and eye contact. Drop round here to have a look at the results.
While investigating the area in more detail I came across the new research from Marcus Autism Center. they have very graciously given us permission to reproduce the following explanation of the results.
I have to say that this describes our son rather well. So I was wondering how many of you noticed decline in eye contact from your child with autism or indeed were told about it happening to you?
“Researchers at Marcus Autism Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine have identified signs of autism present in the first months of life. The researchers followed babies from birth until 3 years of age, using eye-tracking technology, to measure the way infants look at and respond to social cues. Infants later diagnosed with autism showed declining attention to the eyes of other people, from the age of 2 months onwards.
The study followed two groups of infants, one at low and one at high risk for having autism spectrum disorders (ASD). High-risk infants had an older sibling already diagnosed with autism, increasing the infant’s risk of also having the condition by 20 fold. In contrast, low-risk infants had no first, second, or third degree relatives with autism.
“By following these babies from birth, and intensively within the first six months, we were able to collect large amounts of data long before overt symptoms are typically seen,” said Warren Jones, Ph.D., the lead author on the study. Teams of clinicians assessed the children longitudinally and confirmed their diagnostic outcomes at age 3. Then the researchers analyzed data from the infants’ first months to identify what factors separated those who received an autism diagnosis from those who did not. What they found was surprising.
“We found a steady decline in attention to other people’s eyes, from 2 until 24 months, in infants later diagnosed with autism,” said co-investigator Ami Klin, Ph.D., director of Marcus Autism Center. Differences were apparent even within the first 6 months, which has profound implications. “First, these results reveal that there are measurable and identifiable differences present already before 6 months. And second, we observed declining eye fixation over time, rather than an outright absence. Both these factors have the potential to dramatically shift the possibilities for future strategies of early intervention.”
Jones is director of research at Marcus Autism Center and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Klin is director of Marcus Autism Center, chief of the Division of Autism & Related Disorders in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar.
The researchers caution that what they observed would not be visible to the naked eye, but requires specialized technology and repeated measurements of a child’s development over the course of months.
“To be sure, parents should not expect that this is something they could see without the aid of technology,” said Jones, “and they shouldn’t be concerned if an infant doesn’t happen to look at their eyes at every moment. We used very specialized technology to measure developmental differences, accruing over time, in the way that infants watched very specific scenes of social interaction.”
Before they can crawl or walk, babies explore the world intensively by looking at it, and they look at faces, bodies, and objects, as well as other people’s eyes. This exploration is a natural and necessary part of infant development, and it sets the stage for brain growth.
The critical implications of the study relate to what it reveals about the early development of social disability. Although the results indicate that attention to others’ eyes is already declining by 2 to 6 months in infants later diagnosed with autism, attention to others’ eyes does not appear to be entirely absent. If infants were identified at this early age, interventions could more successfully build on the levels of eye contact that are present. Eye contact plays a key role in social interaction and development, and in the study, those infants whose levels of eye contact diminished most rapidly were also those who were most disabled later in life. This early developmental difference also gives researchers a key insight for future studies.
“The genetics of autism have proven to be quite complex. Many hundreds of genes are likely to be involved, with each one playing a role in just a small fraction of cases, and contributing to risk in different ways in different individuals,” said Jones. “The current results reveal one way in which that genetic diversity may be converted into disability very early in life. Our next step will be to expand these studies with more children, and to combine our eye-tracking measures with measures of gene expression and brain growth.”
The study, Attention to Eyes is Present But In Decline in 2-6 Month-Olds Later Diagnosed with Autism was funded by the Simons Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health, the Marcus Foundation and the Whitehead Foundation”