Early Diagnosis of Autism - Special Education Law Firm

EARLY DIAGNOSIS

Possible Red Flags for Autism Spectrum Disorders Children and adults with an autism spectrum disorder might:

Not play “pretend” games
Not point at objects to show interest
Not look at objects when another person points at them
Have trouble relating to others
Avoid eye contact and want to be alone
Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings
Have trouble expressing their needs
Repeat actions over and over again
Have trouble adapting to changes in routine
Lose skills they once had

Eligibility Criteria Age 0 to 4+ Years

Identifying Autism 0 - 3 Years

Until recently, diagnosis of autism was often delayed until mid-childhood, especially if language delay was not present. Retrospective reports suggest that most parents identify the onset of first concerns at about 18 months of age, or earlier. Some symptoms can be exhibited very early on especially in the areas of eye contact, crying, making sounds (babbling) to gain attention, as well as skipping stages, like going from sitting up to standing and walking, without crawling first. Parents may notice an unusual rolling/flip flop movement in lieu of typical hand/knee coordinated crawling. An infant may not want to be held face to chest, but prefer to be held faced away from chest, seemingly not wanting to be cuddled, even during bottle feeding. Nursing infants may feed then abruptly wiggle, arch their back and cry, to change positions away from cuddling.

Autism signs early in childhood

Lack of social smile, lack of appropriate facial expression, poor attention, impaired social interaction Ignoring people, preference for aloneness, lack of eye contact, lack of appropriate gestures, lack of emotional expression, less looking at others, less pointing, less showing objects in the second year.

Alerting signals of possible Autistic Spectrum Disorder

In the first year of life there are usually no clear discriminating features, but parental concerns should be elicited Between 2 and 3 years of age, concerns in the following areas should prompt referral.

Communication

Impairment in language development, especially comprehension; unusual use of language; poor response to name; deficient non-verbal communication—for example, lack of pointing and difficulty following a point and failure to smile socially to share enjoyment and respond to the smiling of others.

Difficulty mixing with other children
No real fear of danger
Tantrums
May not be affectionate
over-activity or extreme under-activity
Little or no eye contact
Works impulsively
Uneven gross/fine motor skills
Often does not seem to listen

Limitation in, or lack of imitation of, actions (for example, clapping); lack of showing with toys or other objects; lack of interest in other children or odd approaches to other children. Minimal recognition or responsiveness to other people’s happiness or distress; limited variety of imaginative play or pretence, especially social imagination (that is, not joining with others in shared imaginary games), “in his or her own world;” failure to initiate simple play with others or participate in early social games; preference for solitary play activities; odd relationships with adults (too friendly or ignores).

Impairment of interests, activities, and other behaviors

Over-sensitivity to sound or touch; motor mannerisms; biting, hitting, or aggression to peers; oppositional to adults; over-liking for sameness or inability to cope with change, especially in unstructured setting; repetitive play with toys (for example, lining up objects); turning light switches on and off, regardless of scolding.

School Age

Features that may discriminate children with autism in later childhood In school age children, the following features should alert teachers and others to the possibility of autistic spectrum disorder and trigger discussion with parents and possible implementation of the local referral pathway.

Communication impairments

Abnormalities in language development
Persistent echolalia.
Reference to self as “you,” “she,” or “he” beyond 3 years.
Unusual vocabulary for child’s age or social group.
Limited use of language for communication or tendency to talk freely only about specific topics.

Social impairments

Inability to join in with the play of other children or inappropriate attempts at joint play
Lack of awareness of classroom “norms”
Easily overwhelmed by social and other stimulation
Failure to relate normally to adults
Showing extreme reactions to invasion of personal space