It is important for parents, teachers, and other people responsible for looking after children on a daily basis to be familiar with the typical developmental milestones all children should be reaching; and to learn about the early signs of autism. The following checklist of autism red flags may indicate that a child is at risk of being diagnosed with Autism. In some children, the early signs of autism may be observed by 12 months or even earlier. If a child presents with any of the following, please don’t delay further investigation and see a doctor or pediatrician.
- Lack of eye contact
- Not responding consistently when their name is called
- Not engaging in pretend play
- Preferring to play alone
- Not playing peek-a-boo by 8 months
- Not babbling by 12 months
- No back & forth gestures such as pointing by 12 months
- No imitative behaviours such as waving bye-bye by 12 months
- No words by 16 months
- No meaningful, two-word phrases by 24 months
- Any speech loss at any age
- Losing previously acquired skills at any age
- No sharing of enjoyment or interest
- Becoming distressed by minor changes in routine
- Performing repetitive movements such as hand flapping or rocking
- Playing with toys in an unusual way, for example, spinning or lining them up
- Having unusually strong attachments to particular objects
- Limiting conversations to very specific topics
- Exhibiting oversensitivity to sound or textures.
- Being a picky eater
- Experiencing plateaus or delays in skills development
- Displaying challenging behaviours such as aggression, tantrums and self injury
- Appearing to be in their own world
- Not following any, or following too few, receptive instructions
- Repetitive movements with objects or posturing of body, arms, hands or fingers
- Being hyperactive
- Being unable to sustain their attention compared to their peers
