Often, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show developmental alterations when they are babies, particularly in social, linguistic, and behavioral skills. Some toddlers even interact differently or may not interact at all with others.
Babies can start showing signs of ASD as early as two months of age. Since autism is a spectrum, one child with the disorder will not have the same symptoms as the other children with autism. The symptoms in children vary a lot. Here are some common signs of autism in babies and toddlers.
Limited interaction with caregivers or people in general
Babies usually interact with their caregivers and other people, often playing with them. However, an autistic child limits their interaction with the person.
Limited eye contact and facial expressions
Babies with autism decline making eye contact. They make less eye contact with their caregivers when communicating or playing with them. Autistic babies also show limited or no facial expressions.
No waving or smiling
Babies with autism lack gestures, such as waving. They often tend not to respond to a smile or any other sort of facial expression.
No response to hearing their own name called
Some infants with autism show no response when their name is called. Due to challenges with paying attention and understanding language, autistic babies don’t respond when their name is called, even though their hearing is completely fine.
Becoming very distressed by certain textures or sounds
Toddlers with the disorder face behavioral differences, because of which they often get very upset by any particular texture or sound. For instance, an autistic baby might get distressed by the sound of a vacuum cleaner and behave weirdly upon hearing it.
No cooing, babbling or making any sound
Babbling and cooing refer to the sounds babies make before they talk. Autistic babies do not make any such sounds.
Autism in babies is common and if detected early, it can be taken care of accordingly.
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