Kristie McNealy, MD

In order to kick off Autism Awareness Month, I thought I’d spend a little time talking about autism, and its symptoms and diagnosis.

What is Autism?

According to the Autism Society of America, Autism is a complex neurological disorder that impacts a person’s ability to communicate and take part in normal social interactions. Both children and adults with autism have problems with verbal and non-verbal communication, social and play skills. Autism is one of several disorders that all fall under the category of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). Autism is typically diagnosed between 1 and 3 years of age, but it is an extremely complex and variable disorder, with some children showing symptoms shortly after birth and others showing developmental regression as a toddler.

Signs and Symptoms of Autism

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has created a list of five traits that are autism warning signs. Your child should have further evaluation by a professional if they:

• Don’t babble or coo by 12 months
• Don’t gesture (point, wave) by 12 months
• Don’t say single words by 16 months
• Don’t say two-word phrases on their own by 24 months
• Have any loss of any language or social skills at any age.

There is no reason to panic if your child exhibits the behaviors outlined above. The presence of one or more of these traits does not automatically mean your child will have autism. Other signs of autism include:

• Failing to make eye contact
• Failing to engage in pretend play
• Difficulty understanding emotions and other social cues
• Repetitive behaviors (hand flapping, spinning)
• Preferring not to be cuddled or held.

Diagnosing Autism

Unfortunately, there is no medical test for autism. Instead, a diagnosis of autism is made through observation of play and social skills, along with cognitive and developmental tests. Usually these tests and observations are made by individuals or teams who are specially trained to recognize autism, including developmental pediatricians, psychiatrists or psychologists. Since children with autism often benefit from early intervention therapy, early screening for signs of autism should take place at every well child visit between 18 and 36 months.

If your child has been diagnosed with autism, or another pervasive developmental disorder, what was your first clue that something was wrong, and how long did it take to get a diagnosis?

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