autism Helps

Smart Kat:

The three most important symptoms of autism are:
1. No eye contact of social skills.
2. Rocking, hand flapping & other such movements.
3. Little or no speech, or flat, unemotional speech.
Obviously #s 2 & 3 are normal in 6 month olds, so that just leaves you with #1. He can’t be diagnosed on just one symptom, but you can know if there is a likelihood.
You know how babies will look at you, dart their eyes away & slowly turn back to you? And I love how babies will watch you talk to them, then kick their feet like crazy, then stop to watch you talk some more. These are little social games a baby with early onset autism will not participate in.
But some (about 20%) of autistic children were completely typical up until shortly before their 2nd birthday.

Sunshine:

Whoa..slow down mommy!
Signs of autism almost always develop before a child is 3 years old, although the condition is sometimes not diagnosed until later. Typically, parents first become concerned when they notice that their toddler does not begin to talk or does not respond and interact like other children of the same age. Toddlers with autism do not usually develop speech normally and may seem to be deaf although hearing tests are normal.
Autism also affects how a child perceives and processes sensory information.
At 6 months of age…you have a long way to go before you should suspect this.
I have a son with Tourettes and he showed symptoms at age 4, but was not officially diagnosed until age 6.
If you do suspect that something is wrong with your baby…call your pediatrician.

Greeneye:

too early to tell
see your health nurse
a major sign is no eye contact