a child isoltes itself, does not look at someone, shows signs of intellegence beyond their age--Ive heard of children with autism solving very complex mathmatical equasions.

yes, but what about babies before they talk?

It is hard to determine in very young babies, but some of the common signs could be: no eye contact, no pointing or weaving by 12 months, repetitive motion (spinning wheels on the car instead of playing with the car), no babbling.

I don't think there are tell tale signs of Autism in infants/babies.

I found this at this website:
http://www.autism-pdd.net/autism-symptoms. html

Autism, which affects thought, perception and attention, is not just one disorder with a well defined set of symptoms; autism is a broad spectrum of disorders that ranges from mild to severe. In addition, the behavior usually occurs across many different situations and is consistently inappropriate for their age.

In the diagnostic manual used to classify disabilities, the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), “autistic disorder” is listed as a category under the heading of “Pervasive Developmental Disorders.” A diagnosis of autistic disorder is made when an individual displays 6 or more of 12 symptoms listed across three major areas: social interaction, communication, and behavior. When children display similar behaviors but do not meet the criteria for autistic disorder, they may receive a diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder-NOS (PDD not otherwise specified).


Problems in social relatedness and communication.

(Difficulty in mixing with other children; prefers to be alone; aloof manner; difficulty in expressing needs; uses gestures or pointing instead of words ).

Abnormal responses to one or a
combination of senses; such as sight, hearing, touch, balance, smell, taste, reaction to pain.


Sustained odd play.
Uneven gross/ fine motor skills.
Not responsive to verbal cues
acts as deaf.
Little or no eye contact.
Insistence on sameness; resist changes in routine.
Noticeable physical over activity or extreme under activity.
Tantrums; displays extreme distress for no apparent reason.
Autism Resources

Speech and language absence or delays. Inappropriate laughing and giggling. Echolalia (repeating words or phrases in place of normal language).
Abnormal ways of relating to people,
objects and events. (Inappropriate
attachment to objects; don't seek cuddling )
Spins objects.



An aspect of language that tends to be disturbed in autistic people has to do with knowing how to use language appropriately and in context. That includes knowing how to hold a conversation, thinking about what the other person in a conversation understands and believes, and tuning in to the meta - linguistic signals of the other person, such as facial expression, tone of voice and body language. It is important to remember that communication is as much nonverbal as it is verbal, and autistic people have great difficulty understanding nonverbal language.

The following is from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM IV):
DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR 299.00 AUTISTIC DISORDER
A. A total of six (or more) items from (1), (2), and (3), with at
least two from (1), and one each from (2) and (3)
(1) qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:

a) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction

b) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to
developmental level

c) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people, (e.g., by a lack of showing,
bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)

d) lack of social or emotional reciprocity ( note: in the
description, it gives the following as examples: not actively
participating in simple social play or games, preferring solitary
activities, or involving others in activities only as tools or
"mechanical" aids )

(2) qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:

a) delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language
(not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)

b) in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others

c) stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic
language

d) lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social
imitative play appropriate to developmental level

(3) restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior,
interests and activities, as manifested by at least two of the
following:

a) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in
intensity or focus

b) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional
routines or rituals

c) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole body movements)

d) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

B. Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years:

(1) social interaction

(2) language as used in social communication

(3) symbolic or imaginative play

C. The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett's Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

Diagnostic Criteria For 299.80 Asperger's Disorder


Diagnosing and Evaluating Autism
Autism and related disabilities, such as PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified), and Asperger's Syndrome are difficult to diagnose, especially in young children where speech and reasoning skills are still developing.

It is essential that the process of diagnosing Autism & related disabilities include the assessment and evaluation of a child's development, communication, and social skills.
Evaluation and assessment are ongoing processes. Once a diagnosis has been reached, this process should be repeated periodically.

We included brief descriptions of some medical tests and evaluations that may be ordered for children suspected of having autism or a related disability.

Not necessarily. Not all kids are savants in certain areas.

My son didn't have a lot of eye contact even at 3 months. He hardly looked at me. He didn't coo a lot nor did he babble later on. Most babies coo and babble as a means of connecting with people in addition to just practicing (playing) their sounds. I remember Nathan was extremely interested in how things work in the environment VERY early on. People would often say he was very attentive to his environment...true, but he just wasn't attentive to people. I knew very early on he was on the spectrum. Nathan was interested in spinning wheels on cars as well. He was a very easy going baby, though, and didn't overreact to stimuli in his environment.

He is now four years old and you can barely tell he is on the spectrum. He is on the very mild part of the spectrum but people who work with him still notice. It did snow today and when he saw it he said, "I need to go outside and clean the snow off of my slide and stairs right now!" Sigh He wasn't excited about the snow, just slightly irritated that it got on his slide. It was a little funny.

You can PM me if you want to talk. I have experience in this both professionally and personally. When my son was going through all of this at an early age, people thought I was pretty much overreacting.

Yes with babies it is difficult to tell. Usually they are one or older before the signs start showing up. sometimes it is sooner--it really depends on the person--hence the name spectrum disorder

Thanks for your feedback!

I was so nervous when Jersey was a newborn. Up until she was 2-3 months, if you would try to make eye contact she would immediately turn her head. Just like magnets retracting.

It's like she "grew" out of it :/

that was just the ones that i could come up with off the top of my head and an example. i wasnt saying that it was the same for all

I'm confused now! When i was a baby and up until 5,i was basically Autistic,then as i got older,it turned into Aspergers syndrome! Can it do that???

There are certain difference. Many people erroneously think that if you get better or are high functioning, you must be Aspergers. Individuals who have autsim, are delayed in their early language skills. Some do improve significantly. They usually perform significantly better on the nonverbal portions of IQ test, although in high functioning Autistic individuals the difference may not be as apparent.

Individuals with Aspergers usually do not have a delay in speech early on. Also, when you give them IQ tests, their verbal abilities are usually significantly higher than nonverbal abilities.

In HFA, usually you will see more motor behaviors that involve self stemming. In Aspergers, motor clumsiness is more apparent.

Hi all..

I have 3 children, my middle one is a boywho has Autism...how old is your baby??...look at some photos you have taken..not professional ones...does your baby look vague like hes not looking directly at the camera...does he show good facial appearances...smiling at you, looking at you, or does hes eyes wander..

Its not until they hit about 15monthes onwards you start to see obvious signs that they arent developing at the normal time as other children..but until you get there..try not to worry too much...

Aspergers is a form of autism.

There is no known single cause for autism, but it is generally accepted by the medical community that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in autistic versus non-autistic children. Researchers are investigating a number of theories, including the link between heredity, genetics and medical problems. While no one gene has been identified as causing autism, in many families there appears to be a pattern of autism or related disabilities, further supporting a genetic basis to the disorder.

It took about nine years before my son was diagnosed with autism. What threw even the doctors off was the fact that he was an extremely loving, friendly child who loved hugs and loved everybody, even strangers! He did have some pretty bad tantrums, but when he was good he was a real angel. He is a teenager today and hasn't changed much, but it took a schoolteacher to recognise the autism and push for proper testing. The autism spectrum is so wide that it can be very difficult to see where a child fits on it.