Thursday, March 28, 2024

Does Your Baby Have Autism

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Does your child have autism? Here’s how you can find support

Your child interacts with you and others and has normal play habits and sensory responses, but doesn’t respond to your voice when they have their back turned away from you. This may occur in children with autism along with many other symptoms that point to autism.

You may notice patterns of behavior such as those that involve a sensory processing disorder or a lasting and intense focus on objects or topics along with a lack of:

  • babbling or use of words
  • eye contact
  • engagement

If your child is simply not hearing you, there’s a good chance they are either very engaged in play or have some level of hearing loss. If you find that this is an ongoing issue, it is vital to bring up the issue with your child’s health care provider.

There may be no need to worry just yet that your child has autism.

Signs Of Autism In Infants

Its important to note that every baby is unique and their symptoms or development may be different than whats listed here below. Its always best to consult your pediatrician or find a pediatric specialist in development to discuss any abnormal or odd habits that your baby is showing that could be signs of autism in infants.

Using A Parents Hand To Communicate

Sometimes a child will take their parents hand and pull them toward the kitchen to let them know they are hungry, often while glancing back at the parent. They may pat a parents arm or try to turn their parents face toward them if they want attention, such as when the parent is using their cell phone. This is not unusual. However, pay attention if your child tries to use your hand as a tool without looking at you. For instance, if they cant open something, do they pick up your hand and place it on the object without looking at your face? This is seen more often in children with autism than in typically developing children. It is as if they understand that this hand is able to open this thing, so they go directly to the source, the hand, to get the job done.

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Rarely Shares Enjoyment With You

Babies readily share enjoyment with you by smiling or laughing and looking at you.

Some children with autism smile to show theyre happy but dont their enjoyment.

Others show little facial expression or have flat affect and rarely smile so you may not know when theyre happy.

If your baby rarely shares enjoyment with you, especially when youre available to interact, this can be an early sign of autism.

Help For Parents Of Children With Autism

How to Tell If Your Child May Have Autism

If you have a child with autism, it is important to get support. The day-to-day care of children with autism can be stressful. Making sure your child get the help they need can also pose a challenge, depending on whether quality support services are available in your area. At the same time, you are likely to have ongoing worries about your child’s prognosis and long-term well being. For all these reasons, you need to take care of yourself, as well as your child. Make an effort to reach out and find the support you need.

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Autism Signs By 3 Months

  • They don’t follow moving objects with their eyes: “Babies at high risk for autism don’t follow caregivers as they move in the visual field,” says Dr. Frazier. “They may be more intrigued by something like a blanket.”
  • They don’t respond to loud noises.
  • They don’t grasp and hold objects.

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Could Taking Certain Medications Increase Your Risk

Researchers have found potential links between the medication a mother takes while pregnant and autism risk. For instance, use of anti-depressants has shown association with autism across multiple studies, says Dr. Fallin, though it remains unclear whether this link is related specifically to the drugs or to the mother’s depression itself. Also, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that valproate, a medication used to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders, can increase the risk for autism. It’s crucial that you work with your doctor to determine whether the benefits of any medications you take outweigh the risks. In many cases, they will: “If a mother has epilepsy, it is very important that it be controlled during pregnancy, even if that requires valproate,” explains Dr. Wang. “If the mother has a seizure while pregnant, that is potentially a much bigger risk to the fetus than the drug that controls her seizures.”

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Early Signs Of Autism In A 2 Year Old

If you feel like your 2-year-old doesnt seem to be catching up with their development milestones, you may start looking for certain signs of autism spectrum disorder for any delays.Mild symptoms can be mistaken for being shy or the terrible twos.

Here are some red flags that may indicate ASD:

  • Doesnt speak more than 15 words,
  • Cant walk ,
  • Doesnt know functions of household items like fork,
  • Doesnt imitate parents actions or words,
  • Doesnt use items for their own purposes,
  • Doesnt follow simple instructions

Autism In Young Children

Should I have another baby after an Autism diagnosis?

Signs of autism in young children include:

  • not responding to their name
  • avoiding eye contact
  • not smiling when you smile at them
  • getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
  • repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body
  • not talking as much as other children
  • repeating the same phrases

Signs of autism in older children include:

  • not seeming to understand what others are thinking or feeling
  • finding it hard to say how they feel
  • liking a strict daily routine and getting very upset if it changes
  • having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
  • getting very upset if you ask them to do something
  • finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on their own
  • taking things very literally for example, they may not understand phrases like “break a leg”

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Where To Test Your Child For Autism

If you suspect your child may have autism spectrum disorder, start by raising your concerns with your childs pediatrician. If your doctor determines that your child may be showing symptoms of autism, they will refer you to a specialist who treats children with autism spectrum disorder, such as a child psychiatrist or psychologist, pediatric neurologist, or developmental pediatrician, for an evaluation.

Where Does Autism Come From When It Doesnt Run In The Family

Autism genetics expert Ivan Iossifov breaks down recent research that sheds light on how unaffected parents can pass autism onto their child.

A quick Google search for autism causes is all it takes to learn that scientists believe the disorder has a strong genetic component. So if theres no genetic history in the family, where does a childs autism come from?

A key fact has come to light within the last couple of years: many autism-causing genetic mutations are spontaneous. They occur in the affected child, but in neither parent. Mutations in this category are not directly inherited from the parents, explains Assistant Professor Ivan Iossifov, one of several CSHL scientists who has pioneered the study of the role of spontaneous mutations in autism causation.

A childs genome is a patchwork stitched together from the genetic cloth contained in the mothers egg and fathers sperm. In theory, that means that children are cut from exactly the same cloth as their parents. But in reality, there are virtually always small factory defects in that clothmutations that spontaneously arise during the sperm or eggs creation.

Spontaneous mutations cause as much as half of all autism in situations in which only one child in the family has autism. This and other analysis comes from a study Iossifov published in 2015. He and his team looked at about 2,500 families with a single affected child and investigated the causal link to spontaneous mutations.

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Early Signs Of Autism In Children

Early diagnosis means early intervention. It helps provide your child a higher quality of life through teaching life skills with therapies and games.

There are certain signs to look out for while your child is growing up. They hit developmental milestones, indicating that their social, communicative and behavioral developments are on track.

Here are some of the early signs that your child may need to be further examined and tested by your physician.

What Should Parents Do If They Suspect Their Child Has Autism Spectrum Disorder

Information on Autism Spectrum Disorder for Families

Getting a diagnosis if indeed a child has an autism spectrum disorder as early as possible is important because research shows that early intervention is the best intervention. Yet not all pediatricians recognize the early signs of a possible ASD.

Although diagnosis rates of autism are up, this does not mean that all doctors or medical professionals are aware of the different signs of autism in different babies and toddlers. A diagnosis is made by observing the behavioral characteristics in three areas: communication, social interactions, and imaginative play or thought. As there are no physical characteristics that are shared by those in the spectrum, and there is a wide range of abilities and disabilities, it is not always easy to identify.

The difficulty is that right now, there is no medical test that can tell if a person has autism or not. Not all children with autism develop in the same way. For example, my son never reached his developmental milestones as a child. He had physical therapy to learn how to sit up on his own, crawl, and walk. By age two, he only had two words. He would spin the same toy over and over if left to his own devices. He never reached out towards other children when in group situations.

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Unusual Reaction To Sounds Sights Or Textures

Babies with autism can show unusual reactions or be very sensitive to certain sounds, sights, or textures. They may get overly excited about a page in a book or hold their hands over their ears in response to loud sounds, squint or flap their hands to certain lights, gag when they eat food with certain textures, or get upset about a tag in a shirt or something sticky or gooey.

If your child shows unusual reactions to sounds, sights, or textures, this may be an early sign of autism.

What Are The Tell

Autism spectrum disorder is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. It can be seen in all groups of age. The Centers for Disease Control states that the disorder does not discriminate between racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

Oftentimes, certain severe forms of ASD are diagnosed before the child turns two. However, high-functioning individuals may not be recognized and diagnosed until later ages in their lives.

  • The level of science,
  • Knowledge on autism spectrum disorder itself at the time,
  • Lack of social and economic means they had,

This happens because autistic adults were not diagnosed when they were children.

Since autism spectrum disorder is still, in part, a mystery, studies generally focus on where the disorder stems from to figure out how it occurs in the first place. This has caused the focus to be on children. The adults who have never been diagnosed in their lives were partially left out in the research sphere.

However, in recent years, awareness of autism spectrum disorder in adults has increased significantly. This is due to the fact that the public is now aware of the signs and understands that a diagnosis can be made even later in life of a person.

Autism spectrum disorder impacts three main areas in an individuals life: the social aspect, communication, and their behaviors.

Since we understand autism more and more every day, we are now able to differentiate and diagnose more adults with ASD.

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Signs Of Social Difficulties

  • Appears disinterested or unaware of other people or whats going on around them.
  • Doesnt know how to connect with others, play, or make friends.
  • Prefers not to be touched, held, or cuddled.
  • Doesnt play pretend games, engage in group games, imitate others, or use toys in creative ways.
  • Has trouble understanding feelings or talking about them.
  • Doesnt seem to hear when others talk to them.
  • Doesnt share interests or achievements with others .

Basic social interaction can be difficult for children with autism spectrum disorder. Many kids on the autism spectrum seem to prefer to live in their own world, aloof and detached from others.

Early Signs Of Autism In Adults

Getting Your Autistic Child to Talk

Autism spectrum disorder occurs in all age groups. It is generally characterized by social and communication difficulties.

Severe forms are usually diagnosed in the first two years of a childs life. However, high-functioning individuals may not be diagnosed until later in their lives.

Here are some of the symptoms in autistic adults:

  • Difficulty in regulating emotion

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Can You Detect Autism In Newborns

Autism spectrum disorder can be identified in babies as young as two months old. Although subtle signs can be missed if not observed closely, there are certain red flags.

Caregivers should observe the developmental milestones of their children to be able to detect early signs of autism. Parents should be aware of the eye contact of the newborns and follow the development.

From birth, all babies will look more at the eye part of faces. According to studies conducted with babies with eye-tracking technology, lack of eye contact is one of the signs that the newborn may have autism.

The following are some of the other signs seen in newborns as they grow older.

Early Signs Of Autism In A 5 Year Old

Once your toddler grows up, certain signs can be missed or confused with signs of growing up. You may want to consult your childs doctor if you see the following signs, which may mean your child has a developmental delay:

  • Shows extreme behaviors like unusually aggressive, shy, or sad
  • Doesnt show a wide range of emotions
  • Usually isnt active
  • Has trouble focusing on one activity for extended periods of time
  • Doesnt respond to people
  • Cant understand the difference between real and make-believe
  • Doesnt play with peers
  • Doesnt use grammar correctly
  • Doesnt talk about daily activities
  • Loses skills they once had

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Develops Rituals And May Get Upset Over Change

Babies learn morning and nighttime routines with your help. Making activities predictable can provide opportunities for learning.

Babies usually flow with changes in routines such as ending an activity early or adding a new step.

Children with autism may develop rituals and be unwilling to complete a series of behaviors a different way.

If your child insists on certain things being the same and gets very upset over unexpected change, this may be an early sign of autism.

If You Suspect Signs Of Autism In Infants

Does your child have autism?

During your childs development, its helpful to keep a notebook to jot down events, milestones, and unusual things you may witness during their development. This is a great way of keeping a log of both memories, but also any potential issues that a medical professional might want to look into.

If youve read through all the signs of autism in infants and suspect your child may be in need of an assessment, please contact us to book an appointment. Our office proudly serves Texas families and residents just like you!

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Signs And Symptoms Of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Some people with ASD have a known difference, such as a genetic condition. Other causes are not yet known. Scientists believe there are multiple causes of ASD that act together to change the most common ways people develop. We still have much to learn about these causes and how they impact people with ASD.

There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people. They may behave, communicate, interact, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The abilities of people with ASD can vary significantly. For example, some people with ASD may have advanced conversation skills whereas others may be nonverbal. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives others can work and live with little to no support.

ASD begins before the age of 3 years and can last throughout a persons life, although symptoms may improve over time. Some children show ASD symptoms within the first 12 months of life. In others, symptoms may not show up until 24 months or later. Some children with ASD gain new skills and meet developmental milestones, until around 18 to 24 months of age and then they stop gaining new skills, or they lose the skills they once had.

Signs Of Autism In Babies

Some parents recognize autism signs when their child is 6-12 months old, depending on the symptoms and their severity. “Pay attention to whether or not the baby is reacting to social information and the environment. Within the first year of life, babies start to babble and use gestures like pointing,” says Dr. Frazier, adding that babies may also smile at their caregivers. “Baby noises should have some social function as well, and they should try communicating with parents.”

Babies with autism sometimes fail to communicate through sounds or gestures, and may not respond to social stimulation. Here are other early signs of autism.

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