Can you tell if your child has autism before age of 1?

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shell1678 asks:

My baby is 8 months and she is very attentive and the doctor says she
s developing very well,one day she was sitting on the couch and she sat back and we started laughing so she kept doing it. Lately when she is sitting on your lap she rocks back and forth sometimes. Is there anyone that knew their child has autism, did they see signs before the age of 1 or am i being very paranoid?

In Topics: Autism & Aspergers Syndrome

> 60 days ago

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Expert

Louiseasl

Oct 19, 2009

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What the Expert Says:

Hello and thank you for writing to JustAsk!

As a School Psychologist who works a lot with children under five years of age and their parents I often get this type of question.

I know that Autism is in the news and unfortunately new statistics show that as many as one in every 90 children may have a form of the disorder. However, you describe your baby as attentive, laughing with you (which means interactive) and seemingly otherwise to be developing on schedule. Thus, these are the signs of a typical infant. Moving back and forth is often fun for a young child and one of the ways they practice motor skills prior to walking.

If you have concerns you may wish to 1) discuss them with your pediatrician 2) request an early intervention evaluation from your school district or 3) refer to many of the online resources that can help you with your questions and guide you, if needed.

I have listed below a few websites that may be of help to you. Also, you are not "paranoid" but a good parent, as you were brave enough to ask your question here on our forum. Thank you for sharing with us and allowing us to help you and also others by answering this question.

Good luck!

Resources:

http://www.eparent.com

http://www.autismspeaks.org

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Additional Answers (1)

Edu-Katherine writes:

Hi Michelle, 
 
This is a good question. I've seen babies rock back and forth when being held, just as a form of play or general movement. Your baby did seem to respond to your laughter when she was on the couch and engaged with you, and she's attentive so this is a good thing. Early diagnosis is important, no doubt, but at the same time there are some who take a  wait-and-see approach. I really do hope you find your answers and let us know. Your question is really going to help a lot of other people who read it, so please let us know what you learn over time. 
 
 
Autism Society of America has a group here on education.com that you may want to consider joining. They have a lot of great information. 
 
http://www.education.com/communities/groups/profile/162/ 
 
A quick search of Austism articles on education.com gave me these results. You may be interested in looking through them. 
 
http://www.education.com/results/all/?q=diagnosing autism 
 
Hopefully someone with direct experience in diagnosing autism will be able to help you out here in the community. 
 
Edu-Katherine 
Community Team

> 60 days ago

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