The milestone of responding to one's own name usually occurs between 4 and 9 months, according to the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). Not all babies reach this milestone at the same time, of course, but most should be appearing to recognize their name with consistency between the ages of 7 and 9 months.
Even in infancy, we expect babies to orient to caregivers when their names are called. A baby should be responding to their name by six or seven months of age. Some babies start doing this at three or four months of age. It is concerning if your baby is not showing this skill by seven months.
The researchers concluded that if a child who is 12 months old is not responding to their name, it could be a sign that they have a developmental delay or condition—including autism. However, the researchers did not conclude that the name test alone could be used to diagnose any of these conditions.
You may start to feel a sense of excitement when you see a smile emerge on your baby's face as they recognize yours. Shortly after birth, your baby will prefer your face over a stranger's face and may even show you a smile! In addition, your baby is using their sense of smell to recognize their mother.
Rarely shares enjoyment with you
Babies readily share enjoyment with you by smiling or laughing and looking at you. Some children with autism smile to show they're happy but don't share their enjoyment. Others show little facial expression or have flat affect and rarely smile so you may not know when they're happy.
Speech-language pathologists working in early intervention often consider a young child's lack of response to their name as a potential sign of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It can also be an indicator of issues with receptive language skills.
That said, a long-time speech-language pathologist will likely agree: If your child doesn't respond to his name by the time they turn 1-year-old, it could indicate a developmental delay that requires action.
In some cases, a child may appear to have clumsiness and awkwardness in doing normal activities like walking and running. Some children also have repetitive behaviors such as hand clapping, twisting, or twirling.
Early signs of autism can be detected in babies by playing peek-a-boo, research has shown. If their brains respond less than they should to the stimulating game they are more likely to be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as toddlers.
Say his name. After saying the child's name, immediately tap his shoulder and, if needed, gently guide his face to look at you. After you say his name, quickly tap him on his shoulder or gently lift his head to face you.
Here are a few ways you can encourage language learning and help your baby learn to recognize their name: Use their name often when you talk to them. With time, they'll make the important connection that the name you're saying belongs to them. Smile often and talk to your baby in a calm tone of voice.
3 to 6 months: Your little one will respond to her name as well as any changes of tone in your voice. She'll also start to babble and giggle or squeal with delight when playing alone or with you. 6 to 9 months: Your baby will respond to her own name, and she'll even start to turn in the direction of someone talking.
A baby who doesn't respond when his name is called, or shows no signs of imitating others' behaviours such as clapping and waving, and instead seems to be on their own agenda, is a candidate for early intervention. This child needs to be brought back into the social loop so that he can begin to learn from others.
Older infant (6 to 18 months) – smiles at own reflection in mirror or makes sounds when looking at image in the mirror. Toddler (15 to 36 months) – shows recognition of self while looking in mirror and touching nose, head or some other body part that toddler can see only with a mirror.
Learning how to wave bye-bye is an important milestone for an infant that usually occurs between the age of 10 months and a year. A study in Pediatrics International found premature infants mastered the bye-bye gesture significantly later than full-term babies and used different hand and wrist motions.
Children with ASD often need a hug, just like other children. Sometimes they need this much more than other children. But some children don't like to be touched. Respect their personal space.
Research shows that autism can indeed run in families. If you already have one child with ASD, you have a 1 in 5 chance of your next child developing autism. If you have more than one child with ASD, the odds of having another child with ASD are even higher.
Infant development milestones for a 10- to 12-month-old include crawling and improved hand-eye coordination. Babies this age are often on the move. They like nothing more than to drop a spoon from the highchair over and over again.
Signs of autism in young children include: not responding to their name. avoiding eye contact. not smiling when you smile at them.
Not responding to name being called is also an early sign of autism. If you notice your child is not responding to their name (or very rarely) by their first birthday, it's extremely important that you bring this up to your child's pediatrician and call your local early intervention program.
They found that children at-risk of ASD and ADHD were more likely to fail to respond to their name at 12 months and 18 months than low-risk children.