Signs of autism could be apparent children before they reach age three. There are different ways these symptoms could manifest. Parents should check for these symptoms as early as possible and take their children to the doctor immediately if they notice the signs. It is important to quickly diagnose and treat this condition early in life to minimize effects of autism later in their life.
Early symptoms of autism should be easy to find on toddlers. They could be unable to properly make eye contact with parents and others. They could make eye contact, but won’t hold it long enough. Toddlers with signs of autism won’t look back if their name is called. They don’t pay attention to people who speak to them and could even be unaware that there others around them.
Autistic children could look like they are completely in a world of their own. They don’t pick up common body language and may have problem interpreting or showing different emotions. These children do not show any sense to the feeling of others and they tend to turn inward. They rarely like to be held, hugged or touched.
Signs of autism could also be related to language and speaking skills. Autistic children could be far behind their normal peers in acquiring the verbal skills. By the time children are one year old, they should be able to babble and then speak basic words within one year.
Children with autism could lack the necessary emotion when they talk to others and they have very flat tone of voice, In other cases, autistic children could sing every word they say and have problem starting a conversation. Although some of them could start a conversation, they will not be able to sustain it.
Autistic children may tend to repeat specific words, which are mostly insignificant or even meaningless. These children may not even know the meaning of these words or how to use them properly in a sentence.
Another early sign of autism on toddlers is “flapping”. They may flap their hands or specific object in front of their face very quickly. They could also be quite infatuated to objects have shiny colors, move quickly and spin.
Treatment of autism can be performed more effectively on toddlers than on children above five years old. Toddlers could become agitated or anxious when they experience new emotions that they don’t recognize and understand. Parents and therapist can guide these children to manage and understand their emotions. This could eventually help to reduce symptoms of autisms later in life.