Early signs of autism in babies: Doctor explains

Autism is not a condition that is understood well enough in our society, though we have come a long way. WHO defines ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorders as a diverse group of conditions characterised by difficulty with social interaction and communication, atypical patterns of activities and behaviours. The earlier you understand a person is autistic, the easier it is to help them. However, what should a parent or caregiver look for to understand it? Dr U Vivek, Consultant Psychiatrist at Renai Medicity Hospital in Kochi, explains. 

“Unlike hypertension, where you can check for blood pressure, anaemia, where you can check for haemoglobin or jaundice, where you can check for bilirubin, autism has no blood test or any imaging like MRI or CT that can prove it. The diagnosis is entirely clinical,” Dr Vivek explains. However, there is a gold standard test you can rely on, and here’s how to go about it.

The doctor says that for a lot of children, autism is identified at 2.5 or 3 years. “In some cases, it even happens at 5, 6 or even 10 years of age. When we do a retrospective history from these patients, we may find the aforementioned aspects in their history,” Dr Vivek says. Autism symptoms are generally the same in both male and female children, though at times the boys are a lot more hyperactive, he says.