Recognizing Autism in Toddlers

Autism is a brain developmental disorder that is characterized by the lack of ability to communicate with others, to interact and form relationships with others and to respond appropriately to situations.

Autism starts in infancy or childhood and affects 1 in 150 births, according to the 2007 statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Autism is also four times more common in boys than it is in girls.

Autism is a spectrum disorder and each individual is affected differently. Some people may be able to function relatively well with intelligence and speech ability, while others are mentally retarded, have serious language problems, or are mute.

Even though people may not share the same symptoms, they do however, tend to share some sensory, communicator, motor and social problems that tend to affect behavior in a predictable way.

Autism is one of the five disorders under the Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological disorders. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Education, autism is going up 10 to 17 percent per year. They are startling numbers.

An early diagnosis of autism is very important. Learning the sign of autism can greatly benefit and child and their future.

The behavior associated with autism may or may not be noticeable during infancy or up to 24 months of age. However during early childhood (between the ages of 24 months and 6 years), characteristics of autism become obvious.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), list five behavior, that if noticed during a child's well check up, should be further evaluated:

Does not babble or coo by 12 months

Does not gesture (point or wave), by 12 months

Does not say single worlds by 16 months

Does not say two word phrases on own by 24 months

Has an loss of any language or social skill at any age

If any of these behaviors are recognized it does not mean that your child has an autism disorder, just that it should be checked out further. This could include seeing a neurologist, learning consultant, developmental pediatrician, psychologist, speech/language therapist or other professionals who are knowledgeable about the autism disorder.

There are many signs that parents can keep an eye out for:

By one year of age if your child does not crawl, drags one side (for more than a month) while crawling, does not search for objects that he or she watched be hidden, does not use gestures, or can not stand when supported, notify his or her doctor.

Call the doctor is he or she can not walk by 18 month, speaks less that 15 words, can not push a wheeled toy, does not understand the function of common items such as a spoon, fork, or hairbrush, or if he or she experiences great loss of skill that they previously had, by two years of age.

By age three a doctor should be notified if the child has difficulty with stairs or fall frequently. If the child can not build a tower of more than four blocks, is not involved in pretend play, has little interest in other children, poor eye contact or can not communicate in short phrases.

These are just a few sign that parents can look for, but there really are many more.

Autism can be a scary thing, but with the amount of information, screenings, medications, doctors and great children centers their is hope. Treatments and programs have already made it possible for many children with autism to be able to attend regular schools with regular kids.

sources:
www.myomancy.com
www.chsd.org
www.bellaonline.com
www.firstsigns.org