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Posted by Melissa Hincha-Ownby Jan 22, 2008 |
There is currently a lot of focus, by both doctors and autism organizations, to educate the public and other professionals about the red flags for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). These red flags should raise a parent’s concern about her child’s development and they should be discussed with the child’s pediatrician.
The most commonly listed red flags for ASDs are lack of smiling by six months of age, no babbling by 12 months, lack of gestures like pointing and waving by 12 months, no words by 16 months, a lack of two-word spontaneous phrases by 24 months or a loss of speech or social skills at any age. I am thankful for the push to educate the public and practitioners about these first signs of a developmental delay.
I was a concerned parent but seeing as I had an older child and my daughter was able to make eye contact, her doctor just assumed that my son was talking for her. When I’d try to explain that he never tries to talk for her and that not only is she not talking, she also doesn’t understand what we’re saying, he’d just pass it off as if she was a late talker. This went beyond not talking but he didn’t see it.
Thankfully, I have the support of family members who work in public education and they led me to our local school district which does developmental screenings starting at the age of 2 years and 9 months. I had my daughter in there on that day and within a month she’d started preschool due to her delays. That started our journey towards diagnosis. I feel that it is important for all parents to know these early signs so they don’t lose out on precious time for helpful interventions.