Red flags in toddlers:
By 6 months:
• No regular big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions
By 9 months:
• No regular back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions
By 12 months:
• Lack of responding to name consistently when called
• No regular back-and-forth gestures such as pointing (with index finger), showing, waving or reaching
By 16 months:
• No spoken words beyond “mama” or “dada”
By 24 months:
• No meaningful 2 word phrases that don’t involve imitating or repeating
Red flags in pre-schoolsers:
• Delays in language or speech skills
• Intense temper tantrum
• Any odd repetitive movement patterns such as flapping arms/hand, pacing, walking on tip toes, jumping on the spot, rocking, twirling
• Avoids eye contact
• Difficulty adapting to changes in schedule or environment
• Preoccupation with a narrow topic of interest – often involving numbers or symbols (e.g. memorizing or reciting information about shapes, letters, maps, train schedules, sports statistics)
• Obsessively lines up toys or small objects
• Spends long periods watching moving objects such as a ceiling fan or focusing on one particular part of an object such as the wheels of a toy car
• Reacts unusually to sights, smells, textures or sounds
• Seems unresponsive to people entering/leaving, as well as efforts by others to attract the child’s attention
While it may seem like your child is too young to be assessed by a specialist or you are worried about your child being “labeled”, the most recent research shows that the earlier a child is diagnosed with Autism and receives behavioural treatment, the chances for improvement and success increases.
The Possibilities Clinic offers Autism Consultation for Children 6 years and under, with a doctor’s referral. We also offer treatment options, including individual or group therapy. For more information please call 416-482-5558 or email.
