What are the "red flags" for ASD?

[Stangirl]

I was just reading a thread that said excessive hand waving/wiggling is sometimes a red flag for ASD. My 19month old does this - nothing I'd worried about before but she also never sits still to listen to stories at toddler groups and is totally uninterested in TV. What other things should I be worrying about?

hi , my son 8 ASD , he started off with not a lot off eye contact , no response to his name being called , lining up everything , he had delayed speech, if you re-post your thread on the special needs you will im sure get more answers :)

It does manifest itself very differently in girls than in boys and the majority of the research that one can find is related to boys.

My dd has asd but did not hand flap - she has had and still has very delayed speech, she didn't smile for ages as a baby but has always made good eye contact. She would always sit still and didn't walk until she was almost 2.5. She is still very good at sitting still now too and is very interested in TV.

I would say it is too early to worry but do have a chat to your GP and see what they say

You have to sign up for free, but there are lots of videos of red flags here

The organisation is not my favourite, but the videos are useful.

Well it's too early for you to even start worrying, but some things are delayed speech or particularly speech starting to develop and then stopping, lack of eye contact, inability to see things from other's points of view, need for routine and structure, 'obsessions' ( often thomas the tank engine for some reason!!), lack of social awareness. Of course these things would be more apparent in older children, and even then may not necessarily be due to autism.

oli, it is not too early. In the US the average age for dx is around 14months and they go straight onto an early intervention programme based on the evidence that this has the best outcomes.

hmmm well yes but the US do have an inordinate amount of children medicated for various things......

it is too early to really worry and the things you describe could be all part of a very normal development

Trust your instincts as a Mum you know your child best. If you feel unsure about something get it checked out. If you are right then you have a better chance of getting in the system earlier and maybe accessing some early intervention. If not well what does it matter if you were concerned about something but all was OK?

EArly intervention for ASD is not medication. But it can effect the development of the brain whilst it is still mallable. For this reason, concerns should be raised and investigated, not dismissed as too early.