PARENTING TIPS & TOPICS: Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder
| Behavioral Feature |
Observable 6 to 12 months |
Observable 12 to 30 months |
| Response to others’ social input
|
- Poor eye contact
- Poor eye contact
- Infrequent or delayed responses when name is called
- Inattentive to others pointing or eye direction cue
- Infrequent playful imitation of others’ actions
- Shows little interest in other children
|
- Poor eye contact
- Infrequent or delayed responses when name is called
- Inattentive to others pointing or eye direction cue
- Infrequent playful imitation of others’ actions
- Shows little interest in other children
|
| Social Interaction
|
- Passive
- Limited facial expression during social interaction
- Infrequent smiling at others with eye contact
- Infrequent attempts to point out or show objects or events of own interest
- Limited facial expression during social interaction
- Infrequent smiling at others to show enjoyment
- Rarely initiates social smiles to share enjoyment
|
- Infrequent attempts to point out or show objects or events of own interest
- Limited facial expression during social interaction
- Infrequent smiling at others to show enjoyment
- Rarely initiates social smiles to share enjoyment
|
| Communication & Play
|
- Delayed babbling
- Limited exploration of toys and objects
- Low variety of speech sounds or gestures when trying to communicate
- Delayed language development
- Limited variety of play with toys
- Infrequently coordinates eye contact with gestures and speech sounds to communicate
|
- Low variety of speech sounds or gestures when trying to communicate
- Delayed language development
- Limited variety of play with toys
- Infrequently coordinates eye contact with gestures and speech sounds to communicate
|
| Sensory & Motor
|
- Tenses hands, arms, legs, or mouth
- Low muscle tone or “floppy”
- Poor motor coordination or motor delay (sitting, crawling)
- Seeks firm pressure on body
- Intense interest in shiny or moving things
- Tenses hands, arms, legs, or mouth
- Poor motor coordination or motor delay
- Seeks firm pressure on body
- Intense interest in shiny or moving things
|
- Tenses hands, arms, legs, or mouth
- Poor motor coordination or motor delay
- Seeks firm pressure on body
- Intense interest in shiny or moving things
|
**Source Kennedy Krieger Institute research studies
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