Although autism can be identified in children 18 months old or younger, detecting it in babies is often challenging because language and social skills have yet to develop. Identifying autism in young children and infants usually involves careful monitoring of the child's developmental milestones.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note that a baby can show signs of ASD from the age of 9 months . However, the Autism Science Foundation states that early signs of ASD may appear in babies as young as 2 months of age.
Early signs of autism or other developmental delays include the following: 2 months: Doesn't respond to loud sounds, watch things as they move, smile at people, or bring hands to mouth. Can't hold head up when pushing up while on tummy.
repetitive movements, such as hand flapping or spinning. intense interest in a few special subjects. excessive lining up of toys. trouble sensing or understanding the feelings of others.
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been found to demonstrate lower levels of social smiling than typically developing children and children with other developmental disorders (Dawson, Hill, Spencer, Galbert, & Watson, 1990; Kasari, Sigman, Mundy, & Yirmiya, 1990; Wetherby, Prizant, & Hutchinson, 1998).
Some children show ASD symptoms within the first 12 months of life. In others, symptoms may not show up until 24 months of age or later. Some children with ASD gain new skills and meet developmental milestones until around 18 to 24 months of age, and then they stop gaining new skills or lose the skills they once had.
Autistic children can have particular sleep and settling difficulties, including: irregular sleeping and waking patterns – for example, lying awake until very late or waking very early in the morning. sleeping much less than expected for their age, or being awake for more than an hour during the night.
Newborn to 3 Months
Those who may be on the autism spectrum will mostly avoid any type of eye contact and will typically not smile or exhibit many facial expressions. Autistic children will also likely not be reactive to loud sounds and noises as neurotypical children would.
At both ages, those in the autism and disability groups are more likely than the controls to transition quickly from whimpering to intense crying. This suggests that the children have trouble managing their emotions, the researchers say.
Staring at the ceiling can be normal for a baby after about 12 to 16 weeks. Although, if you are unable to attract the infant's attention away from the ceiling even for a short amount of time, there may be cause for concern.
Main signs of autism
finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling. getting very anxious about social situations. finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own.
Autism spectrum disorder has no single known cause. Given the complexity of the disorder, and the fact that symptoms and severity vary, there are probably many causes. Both genetics and environment may play a role.
Autism signs by 3 months
They don't respond to loud noises. They don't grasp and hold objects. They don't smile at people. They don't babble.
In the case of vocal stimming (or verbal stimming), the child might make noises such as groaning, grunting, high- pitched screeching, squealing, humming, or repeating random words, words to a familiar song, phrases, or lines from a movie.
Developmental red flags
By 6 months: No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions. By 9 months: No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions. By 12 months: Lack of response to name. By 12 months: No babbling or “baby talk.”
In previous studies, children with autism have been found to have unusually wide faces and wide-set eyes. The cheeks and the nose are also shorter on their faces (Aldridge et al., 2011).
Summary: A new study shows that infants who are later diagnosed with autism react adequately when others initiate joint attention, but seldom actively seek to establish such episodes themselves.
When I'm pulling my lips into a little 'O' shape and widening my eyes, it's playtime. This look, wide open eyes and round little mouth, is a common one for excited babies who want to play with their parents. They might also clap, wave their hands, or even make a sound or two.
By two weeks, your baby might start to recognize their caregiver's face, focusing on it for a few seconds as you smile and play with them. Just remember to stay within their field of vision: it's still around 8-12 inches. This is where all of that up-close-and-personal time with your child pays off.
However, if you watch your baby sleep for just a few minutes, you'll notice all the facial expressions they pull during sleep. They'll grimace, smile, even laugh and cry in their sleep. This is nothing to be alarmed about and is completely normal.