Autism-spectrum disorders: 24 warning signs
Does my child have autism? That's a question parents of young children often ask - and for good reason. The disorder - a cause of behavior, communication and socialization problems for about 1 in 68 kids - is notoriously hard to spot. But new research suggests that a simple checklist can give a good indication of whether a child is at risk for autism or other developmental problems.
The checklist is designed to be used for children between 6 and 24 months of age.
The checklist isn't foolproof, and it's designed to be scored by a medical professional. But its developer, Florida State University's Dr. Amy M. Wetherby, says parents can get a good idea of whether there might be a problem simply by eyeballing the questions on the checklist (adapted here with permission of Brookes Publishing Co). Keep clicking to have a look...
Infant & toddler checklist
1. Do you know when your child is happy and when your child is upset?
Infant & toddler checklist
2. When your child plays with toys, does he/she look at you to see if you are watching?
Infant & toddler checklist
3. Does your child smile or laugh while looking at you?
Infant & toddler checklist
4. When you look at and point to a toy across the room, does your child look at it?
Infant & toddler checklist
5. Does your child let you know that he/she needs help or wants an object out of reach?
Infant & toddler checklist
6. When you are not paying attention to your child, does he/she try to get your attention?
Infant & toddler checklist
7. Does your child do things just to get you to laugh?
Infant & toddler checklist
8. Does your child try to get you to notice interesting objects just to get you to look at the objects, not to get you to do anything with them?
Infant & toddler checklist
9. Does your child pick up objects and give them to you?
Infant & toddler checklist
10. Does your child show objects to you without giving you the object?
Infant & toddler checklist
11. Does your child wave to greet people?
Infant & toddler checklist
12. Does your child point to objects?
Infant & toddler checklist
13. Does your child nod his/her head to indicate yes?
Infant & toddler checklist
14. Does your child use sounds or words to get attention or help?
Infant & toddler checklist
15. Does your child string sounds together, such as uh oh, mama, gaga, bye bye, bada?
Infant & toddler checklist
16. About how many of the following consonant sounds does your child use: ma, na, ba, da, ga, wa, la, ya, sa, sha?
Infant & toddler checklist
17. About how many different words does your child use meaningfully that you recognize (such as baba for bottle; gaggie for doggie)?
Infant & toddler checklist
18. Does your child put two words together (for example, more cookie, bye bye Daddy)?
Infant & toddler checklist
19. When you call your child's name, does he/she respond by looking or turning toward you?
Infant & toddler checklist
20. About how many different words or phrases does your child understand without gestures?
Infant & toddler checklist
21. Does your child show interest in playing with a variety of objects?
Infant & toddler checklist
22. About how many of the following objects does your child use appropriately: cup, bottle, bowl, spoon, comb or brush, toothbrush, washcloth, ball, toy vehicle, toy telephone?
Infant & toddler checklist
23. About how many blocks (or rings) does your child stack?
Infant & toddler checklist
24. Does your child pretend to play with toys (for example, feed a stuffed animal, put a doll to sleep, put an animal figure in a vehicle)?