If your child is not meeting the milestones for his or her age, don’t wait – talk to your child’s pediatrician about evaluating your child for speech therapy, occupational therapy, or physical therapy, or receiving a diagnostic evaluation for Autism. At Handprints Therapies, we offer diagnostic evaluations for children between 18 months and 7 years old.
Signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD):
For children as young as 6 months:
- Does not or rarely smailes when approached by their caregiver
- Does not imitate expression
- Delayed or infrequent babbling
- Poor eye contact
- Rarely seeks your attention
- Unusual body movements
- Does not reach up when parents try to pick him or her up
- Delays in motor development
For children between 12-18 months:
- No response to his or her name
- Difficulty following another person’s gaze or pointed finger to an object (i.e. joint attention)
- Poor skills in pretend play and imitation
- Problems with nonverbal communication
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, March 28). Signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/signs.html