- In this video, I'm going to walk you through
the subtle red flags that may be indicators
of autism in very young children.
Now remember if your child shows some of these signs,
it doesn't mean they have autism.
It might just mean that you should book in with your doctor
or an allied health professional for a further assessment.
So the first sign is not consistently using eye contact
to gain your attention.
So at this age, typically, children will use eye contact
to either show you something,
start a conversation,
or express their feelings, or request something.
So for example, if you were rolling a ball back and forth
between your 12-month old and you stop rolling that ball,
what you would typically see
is the 12-month old would look at the ball,
then maybe make a noise and then look up at you.
And that would be to tell you,
"Hey, why aren't you rolling that ball back to me?"
Whereas a child who is having difficulty
with giving eye contact
to gain your attention might just continue
to look at that ball.
The second red flag is not consistently using gestures.
So by 12 months of age,
babies use a wide range of gestures to communicate with you.
So they might hold their arms up
to tell you that they want to be picked up.
They might hold their hand out
to just show you something that's in their hand.
They might wave hello or goodbye.
They might clap their hands.
They might shake their head, yes or no.
And lastly, they might point.
So for example, your baby might point
to the bottle that's on the bench then look at you,
which is the key component,
they look back at you
to make sure that you follow their point
and you understand what they're asking.
But a baby who finds it difficult
to consistently use gestures might,
instead of pointing, just go and grab your hand
and not look up at you
and then take you over to the bottle
and place your hand on the bottle.
And that is how they communicate with you
that they want that bottle.
So if your child rarely uses gestures
to communicate with you, then that is also a red flag.
This leads me onto the next red flag,
which is doesn't respond to gestures
or copy your actions or gestures.
So at 12 months of age,
babies respond to a wide range of gestures,
which are used by parents or others.
So for example,
if you were out walking with your baby and you said,
"Look, there's a dog," while pointing,
typically, the child will look in that direction
and try and find that dog.
Also, babies are sponges, and they love to copy.
So at 12 months of age,
when you do a gesture or an action,
typically, you are going to see your toddler do that
exact same action.
So you might clap, and they will clap,
or you'll say, "Wave goodbye,"
and then they will wave goodbye,
or you will smile at them,
and they will smile in return.
You will also notice
that toddlers will want to copy everyday actions
that you're doing.
So while you're brushing your hair,
your toddler might want to brush their hair as well.
Or while you're brushing your teeth,
your toddler might want to brush their teeth
or try and brush yours.
So if you find that your toddler is not responding
to your gestures or not copying your actions or gestures,
then that is also a red flag.
While we're on the topic of gestures
which is an important milestone that a baby achieves
in that first year of life,
remember to click on the free developmental checklist
in the description box below
if your baby is 12 months of age
and you just want to make sure that they're achieving
all the milestones they should be at this age.
Rarely sharing their interest
or enjoyment with others is also a red flag.
So at 12 months of age,
they are extremely social beings that have a strong desire
to share any of their enjoyment with you.
And they do that in multiple ways.
So for example, when you walk past your toddler,
they might smile at you
to try and engage you in a conversation.
They might laugh with you.
They might come up and hold a toy in front of you
so that you can see what they're wanting to show you.
Or they'll point to an object that's of interest to them.
So they might point to a toy that's on a shelf
or they might point to a dog that's outside.
They might look up at you to request more.
And you'll also notice that when they are playing,
they will frequently look back at you
just to make sure that you stay in the room
and just to check in.
A toddler who's finding it difficult
to share enjoyment with others might play and be smiling
and laughing while they're playing,
but they don't reference back to you.
So they won't look back at you.
Or they might come and show you a toy
by dropping it into your lap or into your hands,
but they don't look up at you to share that interaction
and that enjoyment.
Or lastly, they might point
at something of interest to them.
So they might be out walking with you
and point to a dog,
but they don't look back at you
to make sure you've followed that point
and know what they're pointing at.
Repetitive actions or movements can also be a red flag.
Now when we're talking about repetitive actions
or movements, we can be talking about the child's play
or their body movements.
So in regards to a child's play,
they might have a very particular interest
or they might get stuck on a particular object or toy
and do the same action over and over again.
So for example, your little one might enjoy turning
the light switch on and off on and off
or they might enjoy watching the fans spin around
or just looking at the lights in the room.
They might enjoy just watching the sand fall from their hand
when they're in the sand pit
rather than using a spade to fill up the bucket.
Or they might enjoy watching the wheels spin on a truck
or a train rather than actually driving that train around.
In regards to body movement,
what you typically see is the child doing the same movement
over and over again.
So this might be hands splaying or finger circles.
Or the child might put the hand in front of their face
and then wave their fingers to see the changing light.
You might see the flapping of the hands
at the side of their body.
You might see them walking on their toes most of the time.
Now it needs to be most of the time, not sporadic.
Or you might also see that hand stiffening
when they are walking.
Or the child might shake their head back and forward
as a form of play.
Or they might enjoy running around in circles.
Now doing these behaviors for a few days is completely fine,
but if your child continues to do these behaviors
and that's their kind of form of play,
then that is a potential red flag.
Another red flag is not consistent responding
to when their name is called
or the sound of a familiar voice.
So at 12 months of age,
they will typically respond to their name being called
on the second or third attempt,
particularly if they're engaged in activity.
If your child's hearing is fine
and they're not responding consistently
to their name being called
even when you're directly in front of them,
then that is a red flag.
But if you notice that your toddler is extremely social
and tries to interact and engage you in play
and is babbling and smiling
but they just don't respond to their name being called
when their back is turn to you,
then that might be an indication
that their hearing needs to be assessed.
Not babbling is also a red flag.
At 12 months of age,
a toddler may say their first words,
but they are definitely using babble
in a conversational way.
And by that, I mean they are directing
their babble towards someone.
You will also notice that when you speak to your toddler
and you stop talking,
your toddler will start to babble back
as if they're saying real words.
And their babble also changes up and down in pitch.
So instead of going the ga-ga-ga or ba-ba-ba,
they start to have it go up and down
as if they're having a real conversation with you.
If you notice that your toddler is not babbling,
or when they are making sounds,
it doesn't sound like they're actually having
a conversation with you,
then that is a red flag.
Now as I said, at 12 months of age,
your toddler may be using words,
but they're definitely using gestures.
So if you want to help them start to say their first words,
as well as use their gestures to communicate with you
and help to reduce those frustrations
they may be experiencing,
make sure you click on this video.
Remember to click on that free PDF document,
and I'll see you next week
where I'll share more parenting tips and tricks.