Autism is a developmental disability that involves a social communication delay, but it isn’t always easy to determine whether it is autism, a speech delay, adhd or something else!
Ultimately, as I discuss in my newest book Turn Autism Around®, regardless of what it is you can start intervening now if you are noticing any of these signs.
Let’s jump right into what everyone wants to know, what are the early signs of autism in young children and how do you know if your child or clients have these signs?
These signs are directly from Chapter 2 of Turn Autism Around® which you can read for free right here.
Keeping up with the latest developmental milestones as provided by the CDC is a another good first step.
The 10 early signs of autism to watch for at a glance are;
One of the most important early signs of autism is delayed or lack or pointing and joint attention.
Joint attention is a critical early social and communication skill that helps children interact and engage with others. It typically develops in stages during infancy and toddlerhood. According to Healthy Children Here’s how joint attention progresses:
In children with autism, difficulties with joint attention are often one of the earliest signs of a developmental delay and autism, particularly if they are not responding to or initiating joint attention by 12-15 months.
Early intervention focusing on these skills such as the bonus video within my online courses can help improve communication and social interaction.
If you want to read more about this sign of autism, you can check out the first 2 chapters of my book Turn Autism Around® here.
As a mom and autism expert, I know firsthand how confusing it can be to differentiate between a simple speech delay and autism. Parents and professionals trying to determine if a child has early signs of autism or a speech delay would benefit from this video .
Both can involve delayed language development, but with autism, it’s not just about late talking. Autism often comes with challenges in social communication—things like not responding to their name, avoiding eye contact, or not pointing to share interest by 18 months.
In contrast, a child with a speech delay may have trouble forming words, but they’re usually more engaged socially. They may echo and repeat you more consistently, but we will get into how imitation is an early sign of autism soon too. They’ll use gestures, make eye contact, and try to communicate in other ways. Understanding these differences is so important for getting the right help early on.
When it comes to excessive tantrums, I’ve learned that they can be more than just typical toddler behavior—especially when paired with other developmental concerns. In my own experience with Lucas, I was surprised that he didn’t have many tantrums early on, but many kids with early signs of autism do.
These tantrums often stem from frustration due to communication struggles. When a child can’t express what they need or want, it can lead to more severe behaviors like self-injury, aggression, or even property destruction.
It’s important to remember that not all children with autism or signs of autism will have extreme tantrums, but for those who do, it’s often linked to their language delays and difficulty navigating their world. Identifying this early can be a big step toward helping them.
Excessive tantrums are tantrums that last longer and/or happen more frequently than that of a typically developing toddler. A lot of tantrums combined with some of the other signs can be an early sign of autism but remember, some tantrumming is normal!
Another one of the early signs of autism is a child not responding to their name.
This was a significant early sign for me with my son, Lucas. While it might seem like they’re just ignoring you, children with autism may have difficulty processing language or may be more focused on their environment than on social interaction.
You might notice that your child responds to other sounds, like a favorite TV show or a song, but won’t look up when you call their name.
This lack of response can be concerning, but the good news is, it’s a teachable skill. In fact, I’ve created a simple guide on how to teach children with autism to respond to their name, which you can check out here. Teaching this skill early can greatly improve communication and social interaction.
When it comes to early signs of autism, play skills and repetitive behaviors are key areas to watch.
From my experience, children with early signs of autism often struggle with creative or pretend play, and their play tends to be more repetitive.
Instead of playing with toys in varied, imaginative ways, they might line up cars or blocks over and over again, or focus on spinning the wheels of a toy car without engaging in typical play. This repetitive behavior can sometimes become a self-soothing activity or a way to cope with sensory overload. You may have heard it called stimming. It isn’t a bad thing and doesn’t need to be stopped but can offer us insight into if a child has autism or not.
What’s missing in their play is the social aspect—they’re not showing toys to others or using them to communicate, which are important milestones.
These repetitive actions, combined with a lack of varied play, are significant early indicators that a child may be on the autism spectrum.
When it comes to insistence on sameness, I’ve seen firsthand how rigid routines can be an early sign of autism. Toddlers love sameness and predictability, however, children on the spectrum may become very upset when their routine is disrupted or when things aren’t done in a specific way.
For some kids, even small changes can trigger major tantrums or anxiety. Here’s what I’ve noticed about this behavior:
Understanding this need for sameness can help parents better support their child by gently introducing flexibility and preparing them for changes. When combined with some of the other early signs of autism, it may also help assessors determine if it is autism, ADHD or a speech delay.
From my experience, sensory issues are often one of the earliest signs of autism that parents notice, and they can look very different from child to child. Some children are sensory seekers, while others are sensory avoiders, and many are a mix of both. But, just because there may be some sensitivities does not necessarily mean it is autism, remember these are just signs of autism and we need assessors to evaluate if there are enough of these signs together to mean autism.
Here’s how sensory challenges might show up:
These sensory challenges can be an early sign of autism when combined with some other signs such as lack of pointing, speech delays, or anything listed in this article.
Now this early sign of autism is not well known and may even be overlooked!
When it comes to motor delays and walking, I’ve noticed that this isn’t often discussed as an early sign of autism, but it can be a factor.
For years, we didn’t think children with autism had motor delays, but research and my own experience have shown that many do. For instance, children on the spectrum might walk later than expected—my son Lucas walked at 14 months, while my neurotypical son Spencer walked at 11 months. These were both within the range of normal, but Lucas did walk later. I have worked with some clients who struggle with low muscle tone and struggle to walk or sit up in small chairs as a toddler.
Some kids may also engage in toe walking, which is when they walk on the balls of their feet instead of using a flat-footed gait.
This isn’t always a sign of autism, but when combined with other developmental delays, it can be a clue. While motor delays might not be the most obvious sign, they can contribute to a broader picture of what’s going on with a child’s development.
Imitation skills are so crucial for a child’s development because they’re how children learn from others and engage with their environment. When babies and toddlers imitate things like facial expressions, gestures, and actions, it helps them build language skills, play behaviors, and social connections.
What I’ve seen, and what research supports, is that children with autism often struggle with imitation skills early on. They likely aren’t copying social skills, or daily living routines which can make developmental delays even worse.
In my own experience with Lucas, he began to lose some of his imitation abilities—he stopped pointing, waving, and doing the back-and-forth sing-song interactions that are typical in young children.
This lack of imitation is a significant early sign of autism because it affects how children learn new skills. The good news is that imitation can be taught, and it’s one of the very first skills I work on with children because it opens the door to improving their play, language, and overall social development. So make sure to check out my online courses to learn how to teach imitation skills to a child with early signs of autism.
Possibly yes, but they can also lead to toddler ADHD, speech delays, other disorders or even none at all. What is important is that my proven four-step approach related to these early signs is going to work and help no matter what the diagnosis is.
It is also important to seek out early intervention in your community and get on wait lists for an autism assessment with a developmental pediatrician or psychologist.
If you are noticing these signs, have concerns, or just want to know more, I encourage you to check out the free book resources from Turn Autism Around. There you will have free access to templates, checklists, and tools to get started right away as well as access to the first two chapters of my book, Turn Autism Around, completely free.
As discussed in Chapter 2 of Turn Autism Around®, early warning signs of autism in toddlers may include a lack of pointing by 18 months, delayed speech and language development, poor response to their name, repetitive behaviors, and difficulties with social interaction. There are also lesser known signs like picky eating, rigidness, lack of sleep, and motor delays. These signs may also overlap with other developmental issues like ADHD or speech impairments.
Speech and language delays, both in expressive and receptive language, are common signs of autism. This includes difficulty in understanding basic instructions, such as pointing to body parts, and not being able to speak or form sentences spontaneously by certain developmental stages. In autism, you may also notice a lack of non verbal communication like gestures and pointing.
Yes, excessive tantrums can be a sign of autism, especially if they are linked to frustration due to communication difficulties. Children with speech delays are more prone to frequent or intense tantrums because they struggle to express their needs.
Children with autism often have sensory processing issues. This can manifest as being overly sensitive or under-responsive to stimuli such as sounds, textures, or light. Some may engage in sensory-seeking behaviors like running into walls, while others may avoid sensory input like being touched or wearing certain clothes. Many young toddlers have sensory differences but when combined with some of the other 9 signs discussed today, this can be a component of autism.
Poor imitation skills, such as not copying gestures or actions, are often observed in children with autism. Imitation is crucial for learning and development, and children who struggle with it may face delays in communication, social interaction, and play. Teaching imitation can help improve other developmental areas.
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