Red Flag Signs of Autism

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Parents, grandparents and daycare or preschool providers who see a child often are most able to notice the developmental red flags indicating problems.

Your family doctor can check height, weight, skeletal structure and during the brief time he spends with your young child, except to note obvious physical problems, he/she may not be adequately trained to notice early signs of Autism.

If you are worried, trust your intuition. Have an evaluation team of professionals including a psychologist, speech therapist and occupational therapist see your child. Time is of the essence, because the earlier autism is diagnosed, the more likely it is that treatment will be effective.

While still a baby or toddler, parents should be looking for signs of ASD. If your baby shows three or more of these signs seek immediate evaluation by professionals.

Social problems:

~does not have a big smile or happy expression by 6 months or thereafter

~ has no back-and-forth sharing of smiles, sounds, or facial expressions by 9 months.

~ does not respond when child’s name is called by 10 months

~ has little eye contact
~ pulls back when you lift them up

~ prefers to play alone or with objects versus play with other children


Communication problems:


~has no babbling, pointing, or other communicative gestures by 12 months
~has not spoken a single word by 16 months
~has speech cadence that is not normal-pitch, voice quality
~ repeats sounds over and over
~loss of language or social skills at any age

 Repetative behaviors:

~appears to become overwhelmed by certain sounds and noises

~ obsesses with certain objects

~ repeats same motion with hands, fingers, feet or whole body

~ repeats motion while handling objects

If your child worries you, trust your parental instincts and do not delay in having your child evaluated.
The window of opportunity to make the most impact for a better outcome for an autistic child is never too soon but it can be too late!

Can you add other first signs of Autism?

Which signs did you notice first?

Nancy Wiseman’s web site First Signs and her new book, Could It Be Autism?, are excellent resources for parents who have a baby with questionable behaviors.

Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete, Authors of Two Books On Autism

Actress, author, activist and philanthropist, Holly Robinson Peete and her husband, former NFL quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, Rodney Peete, have a son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. Rodney Jackson is now 12.

Rodney Peete tells their struggle in his book 'Not My Boy!: A Father, a Son, and One Family's Journey with Autism' "I am writing this book because when I got my wake-up call and my son received his diagnosis, there was no Father's Guide or Dad's Secret to battling autism to help me on this long, hard, emotional and sometimes terrifying road,'' Peete writes. "This book is about the incredible journey I, and other fathers, are experiencing with our sons. It is about days of darkness and tears to scoring goals in a playoff soccer game. It's about a father's incredible love for his son and the willingness to do whatever it takes to keep him moving forward. Eight years after the dreadful diagnosis, I am writing this book to let every father know that your dreams for you and your son can still be a reality."

In 1997 in honor of Holly's father, Matthew T. Robinson, Jr., who was diagnosed with Parkinson Disease in 1982 at the young age of 46, they founded HollyRod Foundation. Through this organization they could help those who could not afford care or did not have access to expensive medications, treatments and services.

In the nine years since being told their son was Autistic, the Peetes have teamed up to make others aware about Autism. Taking the example of their parents, the Peete kids pushed to form HollyRod4Kids Foundation to help children with autism gain access to affordable treatments and therapies.

Being spokeswomen for Autism was not enough, Holly Robinson Peete and her 11-year-old daughter, Ryan Elizabeth, who is Rodney J’s twin, recently released

 'My Brother Charlie,' a children's book about a girl's twin bother who is diagnosed with autism. This story portrays their own lives dealing with Autism. "My daughter and I cherish the opportunity to partner with Scholastic to introduce our family's journey through autism with 'My Brother Charlie,' " Holly Robinson Peete said in a news release. "Children with autism are often misunderstood. Our hope is that this book will help families embrace and accept these exceptional people."

Knowing that boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls and an average of 1 in 110 children have an ASD, there should be many potential readers who will benefit from these two books.


Both books are now available and on Sunday, April 11, 2010, Holly Robinson-Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete will host the inaugural My Brother Charlie’s Family Fun Festival in Culver City California, in association with The HollyRod Foundation.


How can society help to make sure children with Autism are not misunderstood?