June 21, 2011

Autism Red Flags

A child with autism might:

•    Not respond to their name by 12 months
•    Not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane flying over) by 14 months
•    Not play “pretend” games (pretend to “feed” a doll) by 18 months
•    Avoid eye contact and want to be alone
•    Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings
•    Have delayed speech and language skills
•    Repeat words or phrases over and over (echolalia)
•    Give unrelated answers to questions
•    Get upset by minor changes
•    Have obsessive interests
•    Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles
•    Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html

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