When did you twig your child was autistic?

[SnuggleBuggleBoo]

What were the first signs, even if only with hindsight? At what age did they have an official diagnosis, and did having the diagnosis help in any way? What do you wish you'd done differently if you'd realised they had ASD sooner?

My daughter is coming up 5. I noticed around 1 where she didn’t really smile at me (had to tickle her to get her to laugh or smile), didn’t respond to her name that well, hadn’t spoke a single word or even babbled! She got her diagnosis at 3 years 6 months. Her diagnosis hasn’t made much difference. She was put into a specialist nursery by the HV, just meant we got 15 funded hrs for nursery and then we paid the rest! I personally feel like I did everything I should have as a mum, if they’re autistic, they’re autistic, I don’t think I could have prevented anything! X

I have an 8 year old who was diagnosed in reception. I was in denial for the first few years and was convinced you could ' prevent' autism, so I'd be in children's centres constantly having him socialise. He would just stick out like a sore thumb, he wouldn't get involved in any activity, wouldn't ever sit down literally I used to tell doctors he first walked at 1 and didn't sit down for years 😂.
Also didn't speak until he was 5/6 only mama dada, would just make noises and scream like a dinosaur.
Didn't respond to his name and didnt really like being hugged by anyone but me and his dad. People often thought he didn't like them.
It's been a hell of a tough journey and still is but so much has changed now for the better!

P.s having a diagnosis helped me accept it as sad as that is. But nothing external it has made a difference to.hes not gotten help from professionals really. I wish I hadn't of been so in denial and wishing things were easier, for example I didn't wanna have to walk him everywhere with reins on when I could see other kids going to nursery on bikes and scooters, made me think I was doing something wrong because he wasn't doing that too.

Ds regressed around 1 so it was blatantly obvious to us something was serious wrong. Officially diagnosed just before his 3rd birthday. For us it's helped in some ways but ultimately the severity of his diagnosis leads to most people treating him like an idiot instead of actually bothering to support him to do things for himself. We didn't have a choice to get him diagnosed but we do have a choice now who we allow to be involved.