About early signs of autism
If children are autistic, early signs of autism usually appear in the first 1-2 years of life.
Early signs of autism are listed below. Some children have many early signs, whereas others have only a few. The number of signs can vary according to children’s ages and stages of development.
Sometimes early signs of autism change over time or become clearer as children get older.
Social and communication skills: early signs of autism
In the first year of life, children’s social interaction and communication development is an important area to watch for early signs of autism. Typical social and communication development in children includes things like responding to their name, making eye contact, and using gestures.
Social interaction and communication
If young children are autistic, they might:
- not consistently use eye contact to get your attention – for example, they might not always look at you and then at a snack to show you they want it, or not look back towards you when they see something that excites them
- rarely point to or hold up objects to show you things – for example, they might not point to a dog and look back at you to make sure you’ve seen it too, or they might drop a toy in your lap and walk away instead of holding it up and looking at you
- not consistently respond to their name being called
- not consistently use gestures on their own – for example, they might not wave bye-bye or clap without being asked to, or they might not nod for yes or shake their head for no
- not consistently smile back at you or other familiar people when you smile at them
- rarely copy other people’s actions, like combing their hair when you comb yours
- not sound like they’re having a conversation with you when they babble, or they might not babble at all
- have difficulty understanding simple, one-step instructions by 1-2 years old – for example, ‘Give me the block’ or ‘Show me the dog’.
Relationships and play
If young children are autistic, they might:
- rarely show interest in other children – for example, they might not look towards them or try to get their attention
- rarely start games like peekaboo or ‘Round the garden’
- rarely do pretend play – for example, they might not pretend to feed a teddy bear.
Behaviour: early signs of autism
Repetitive behaviour and intense or special interests
If young children are autistic, they might:
- have intense or special interests in certain objects or toys – for example, they might play mostly with cars or dolls
- behave in repetitive ways – for example, they might spin the wheels of a toy car or pram repeatedly, or take the clothes on and off a doll repeatedly
- interact with toys and objects in unexpected ways – for example, they might enjoy lining up objects or putting toys into piles
- be very interested in certain activities and get upset if they can’t do these activities – for example, they might watch the same TV show over and over.
Routines
If young children are autistic, they might prefer routines and be easily upset by change. For example, they might need to follow the same route to child care or a grandparent’s house all the time.
Repetitive movements
If young children are autistic, they might repeat body movements or move their bodies in unexpected ways. For example, they might:
- arch their backs
- flap their hands
- hold their arms stiffly
- walk on the tips of their toes.
Sensory sensitivities
If young children are autistic, they might:
- be sensitive to the environment – for example, they might be more easily upset by loud noises or bright lights than other children
- like their environment to stay the same – for example, they might eat only foods with certain textures or colours, or they might want to wear the same clothes each day
- enjoy seeking out sensations – for example, they might rub objects on their lips or faces, or smell objects.
If you’d like to check your child’s behaviour and development for early signs of autism, you can download ASDetect. This free, evidence-based app is developed by La Trobe University and suitable for use with children aged 11-30 months.