On Saturday, June 15th, 2013, in Burlington, Ontario – Treat Autism & ADHD is hosting their 4th Annual Biomedical Conference for Autism, PDD, AD/HD, OCD and Tourette’s Syndrome. It’s an excellent opportunity for parents, teachers, caregivers, daycare providers and professionals to learn about the biological aspects of autism, and some treatment paths. Best of all the conference is free, pre-registration is requested. Do you have concerns about autism? Dr. Sonya Doherty, ND has provided us with the following early signs of autism, and other neurodevelopmental concerns.
Early signs of autism and other neurodevelopmental concerns in infancy:
- Issues with eye contact (avoidance, limited or absent). Babies should look at you when they are breastfeeding
- Babies respond to your smiles. If your baby doesn’t smile back, this may be a concern
- Responsiveness to being called by name. This increases gradually as your infant gets older. If they are not responding to their name at all, this may be a concern.
- Visual tracking is an early sign of developmental concerns. Watch carefully how your child follows objects visually
- Social gesturing is an important sign of development. If you child doesn’t wave, pointor use other gestures to communicate, it is important to see medical advice
- Babies make noises to get your attention and parents need to be concerned if this is not happening
- Some children with autism do not initiate or respond to cuddling
- The ability to imitate your movements and facial expressions is very important and if absent warrants a discussion with your MD
Seek medical help if your child is not hitting the following milestones:
- 6 months – big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions
- 9 months – back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions
- 12 months – responding to their name being called
- 12 months – babbling or “baby talk”
- 12 months – back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving
- 16 months – meaningful words
- 24 months – meaningful two word phrases that don’t involve imitating or repeating
As a parent, you are the person to watch for early signs of developmental delay. It is crucial to track milestones, to take action if you are concerned and trust your instincts. At the first sign of delay, seek out expert advice and get a plan in place to find out what is going on and how you can help your child gain skills more quickly.
– Dr. Sonya Doherty, ND
To read more from Dr. Doherty and early signs of Developmental Concerns, click here
