EARLY DIAGNOSIS of AUTISM

Soon after birth, a healthy baby will gaze into your eyes. By the time he is five or six months old, he will smile and respond to his mother or father and begin to communicate by making gurgling, cooing sounds, all while gazing lovingly into the eyes of whoever is holding him. Babies seem to understand at some basic level that eyes are special and they look at eyes more than any other part of a face.

Sometimes a child does not do this. There is an absence of eye contact. Perhaps he focuses on a whirling ceiling fan or a light fixture and appears to be obsessed by the object. A voice or loud clap does not attract the baby's attention and he doesn't respond. Many times, this is the first clue a parent has that something may be wrong.

Studies show that about 17% of children in the United States have a developmental disability such as autism, but fewer than half are diagnosed before starting school. Early diagnosis and treatment is extremely important.

Early Warning Signs Include the Failure to:

• Focus on sights and sounds by 2 months of age.
• Initiate joyful behavior with parents by 4 months of age.
• Exchange smiles and sounds with parents by 8 to 9 months of age.
• Take a parent's hand to find a toy and point to objects by 12 to 16 months of age.

Other Warning Signs:

Does the baby respond to his or her name? Typical babies respond to their own name by a few months of age and turn toward the person who called them.

Does the baby engage in 'joint attention'? By the end of the first year of age, most babies join with their parent in looking at the same object or event. Typical babies begin to shift their gaze from toys to people, look to where someone is pointing, point to objects himself and show toys to others.

Does the baby imitate others? Typical babies are mimics (sticking out their tongue, imitating facial movements). At 8-10 months, mothers and babies say the same sounds, one after the other, or clap (pat-a-cake) and make other movements.

Does the baby respond emotionally to others? Typical babies are socially responsive to others. When they see another child crying, they may cry themselves or look concerned. They smile when others smile.

Does the baby engage in pretend play? Around the end of the first year, a baby's play begins to take on a pretend quality. Their actions involve pretending to feed themselves, their mother or a doll, brush the doll's hair or wipe the doll's nose.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians routinely evaluate children for developmental problems such as autism, starting in infancy, and begin testing at 9 months of age.

Some critics think this will lead to needless diagnoses in children with normal variations in behavior, but early diagnosis does not mean slapping a label on babies and giving them medications. Awareness to early warning signs increases the chances that children can develop normally.

The earlier the diagnosis, the better the prognosis. With autism, this is especially important.