Ten signs of developmental delay which could be signs of autism

By Liz Lockhart

Although not all infants who show signs of developmental delay will develop an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) it is beneficial to spot these signs early as early detection leads to early diagnosis and intervention. It is commonly believed that through early detection, developmental outcomes are improved.

Autism frequently goes undiagnosed until the age of three but some children may begin to demonstrate signs of developmental delay before their first birthday. However, it is important to bear in mind that not all toddlers who show signs of delays will develop ASD.

Parents need to be empowered to identify the warning signs of ASD and other communication delays, according to Dr Rebecca Landa of the Centre for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. She says ‘We want to encourage parents to become good observers of their children’s development so that they can see the earliest indicators of delays in a baby’s communication, social and motor skills.

Dr Landa also warns that some children who develop ASD do not show signs until after their second birthday or regress after appearing to develop typically.

Landa has, for the last ten years, studied infant siblings of children with autism. She wanted to identify the warning signs of the disorder at the earliest stage. It appears from this study that it is possible to diagnose some children as young as 14 months old. This has led to the development of early intervention models which have demonstrated that improve outcomes for toddlers who show signs of ASD as young as one or two years old.

As a result of her work, Dr Landa recommends that parents should look for certain signs whilst playing with their infant aged 6 – 12 months:-

The infant rarely smiles when approached by caregivers.
The infant rarely tries to imitate sounds and movements made by others, e.g. smiling and laughing, during simple social exchanges.
Delayed or infrequent babbling.
Does not respond to his or her name with increasing consistency.
Does not gesture to communicate by 10 months of age.
Poor eye contact
Seeks your attention infrequently
Repeatedly stiffens arms, hands, legs or displays unusual nody movements such as rotating the hands or wrists, uncommon postures or other repetitive behaviours.
Does not reach up toward you when you reach to pick him or her up.
Delays in motor development which include delayed rolling over pushing up and crawling.

Dr Landa recommends that if a parent thinks there may be something wrong with the development of the their child or if they feel that their child is losing skills they should always talk to their doctor, paediatrician or another developmental expert.

‘Don’t adopt a ‘wait and see’ perspective. We want to identify delays early in development so that intervention can begin when children’s brains are more malleable and still developing their circuitry,’ Dr. Landa concludes.