In the past (and even now), parents were usually told to wait until a child is three before a diagnosis is made. This is unacceptably late. Parents of children with autism can tell you that this wait is usually not beneficial for anyone especially the child. Precious time is lost during this early and critical period. Most early interventionists now agree that intervention should begin as early as possible even at eighteen months.

The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers or the CHAT was designed for use with children as young as 18 months old. Designed in the United Kingdom, researchers took a sample of 10,000 children and found some early predictors for autism. These are:

A lack of pretend play � where toddler is unable to play;

A lack of pointing � children usually point to indicate what they want, toddlers with autism, or signs of, tend not to point but will use an adult�s hand instead;

A lack of social interest � not interested or not aware of events happening around him or her;

A lack of social play � does not seem interested in playing with other children or other siblings;

A lack of joint-attention � will not show parents something or a toy of interest to them.

Some other possible signs and symptoms taken from The Importance of Early Diagnosis in Autism published by Autism Society Ontario for newborns to eighteen month olds with autism are:

1. At 18 months, an infant with autism may:

Be late to smile or not smile;

Not demonstrate attachment behaviour especially to his/her primary caregiver;

Avoid people�s gaze;

Not reach out, even in anticipation of being picked up;

Not seek comforting or may be difficult to soothe; Prefer to be alone;

Not cuddle;

Exhibit simple repeated actions with their body, such as flapping their hands or rocking;

Exhibit simple repeated action with objects, such as spinning the wheels of a toy car;

Have an intense dislike of any changes in routines or the surroundings, such as changes in the arrangement of the room;

Show a lack of nonverbal communication:

No gestures to communicate

No response to body language

Not copying facial expressions or gestures, such as pointing, clapping or waving

2. At one and a half to four years old, children with autism may:

Prefer to be alone;

Not come for comfort, even when ill, hurt or tired;

Not imitate or have impaired imitation;

Avoid people�s gaze or has a lack of eye contact;

Lack an awareness of other people�s existence;

An older child may exhibit a failure to greet people or take turns while playing or interacting;

Have delayed or weak language development and comprehension;

Fail to develop language for communication, e.g. the child does not use language to ask for something but will instead repeat what is said to him or her;

Have unusual first words;

Display an unusual manner of talking, e.g. with unusual tone, off-rhythm, squeaky, or sing-song voice;

Strangely manipulate objects, e.g. spinning them or aligning them;

Have unusual body movements, e.g. hand-flicking or hand twisting, spinning, head- banging, or whole body movements;

Persistently preoccupied with parts of objects, such as looking at the wheels or details on a toy car;

Show an attachment to unusual objects, for example empty boxes;

Show marked distress over changes in trivial aspects of the environment, such as taking a different route home;

Show an unreasonable insistence on following routines in precise detail;

Have difficulty in toilet training;

Have extreme fears

3. In children aged four years & older. Children with autism may:

Not imitate others;

Treat people like objects;

Lack an awareness of the existence or feelings of others;

Not play with other children and has no interest in making friends;

Lack or have unusual emotional responses; Be socially unresponsive;

Be indifferent or respond negatively to physical affection;

Not understand conventions of social interaction, such as turn-taking or initiating interaction;

Be socially awkward;

Have delayed language development for example has little speech;

Rarely or never use appropriate gestures;

Show improper use of pronouns, statements and questions, will say things like "Do you want to go to the toilet?" when they want to go to the toilet;

Say strange things;

Have unusual tone or rhythm of speech;

Not use speech in a meaningful way;

Repeat remarks made by others;

Frequently make irrelevant remarks;

Have great difficulty with abstract language;

Be preoccupied with one or only a few narrow interests;

Have an excessive need for sameness;

Show an attachment to unusual objects;

Show market distress over changes in trivial aspects of the environment;

Show unreasonable insistence on following routines in a particular and rigid way;

Twirl sticks, or flap pieces of paper;

Be fascinated with spinning objects;

Be very good at rote memory tasks such as repeating lists of items or facts.

Article from Sabah.org