Signs Your Child Might Have Autism

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One of the biggest questions parents has when it comes to finally receive an autism diagnosis is what signs they should have seen before now. There are many signs that your child might have autism. You can start watching a child as young as a newborn for various signs that they may be on the autism spectrum. While each of the signs your child might have autism could mean that your child is on the spectrum, these signs I’m sharing today are not a diagnosis. This list of signs is merely to help parents figure out whether their child may have autism or not so that they can discuss these signs with their child’s pediatrician.

Early on in life, your child may not respond to his or her name.
Unable to play pretend games during an age where pretend play would be a reasonable milestone.
Oversensitivity to lights, sounds, and other things in their everyday world.
May have little to zero tolerance for physical contact, such as hugs or being held or swaddled.
Have a desire to spend more time alone than with others and often avoid eye contact during a conversation with someone.
A speech delay or impairment without any other cause or conditions creating said speech issue.
Difficulty with their own feelings or other people’s feelings. Your child may seem to lack empathy or the ability to show/express empathy.
Have zero or low social skills for their age.
Unable to tolerate small changes in their life which could lead to a meltdown or uncontrollable tantrum about said small change.
Have little to no danger safety awareness for their age.
Flap their hands or rock back and forth when excited, nervous or just on a regular basis.
Become obsessive about anything that interests them.
Gives answers to questions that are unrelated to the topic that they were asked about.
Extreme anxiety or phobias that don’t make any sense for their age or past experiences.
Could have issues with impulsive behavior or hyperactivity.
May have a short attention span.
Prefers to line up toys on a regular basis rather than pretend play.
May become more interested in parts of toys, such as the wheels of a truck rather than the truck toy as a whole.

There you have it, some signs your child might have autism. As I said, these signs don’t necessarily mean that your child has autism, but they will help you open up a conversation with your child’s pediatrician about your concerns.