Concerned that your toddler’s behavior may mean that he’s autistic? The fact is, many toddler autism signs are easy to spot — and the sooner you pick up on them, the better able you’ll be to get him the help he needs.
What are the signs of autism in toddlers? In general, autism creates developmental delays in children, specifically affecting their ability to develop normal social skills. They also have a tendency to engage in repetitive activities. Specific toddler autism signs include:
- not smiling, babbling, waving, or pointing at things by 12 months
- not speaking single words (not even “mama” or “dada”) by 16 months
- not using meaningful two-word phrases on his own by 24 months, though an autistic toddler may repeat what he hears
- not responding to his name
- trouble making and keeping eye contact
- seemingly unaware of others’ feelings
- difficulty engaging with others
- not letting others cuddle or hold him
- having a robot-like or sing-song tone
- being withdrawn
- being very interruptive and displaying physically aggressive toddler behavior (because toddlers with autism don’t know how to express themselves in other ways)
- moving repetitively (rocking, flapping hands, spinning)
- becoming extremely disturbed by even the slightest change in routine
- spending hours lining up toys or other objects (blocks, trains) instead of engaging in imaginative play
- becoming intensely preoccupied with household appliances like vacuum cleaners and fans
- being hypersensitive to light, sounds, and touch
- losing language or social skills that he’s already mastered (but if there are backslides in toddler learning while your child is sick, stressed, or busy tackling a new skill, chances are autism is not the culprit)