Parenthood is about firsts: first smile, first solid food, first steps, first words. Parents and caregivers are the fortunate witnesses to these milestones, and they are often the ones to realize that there is some behavior a child exhibit or a milestone a child does not reach that is a cause for concern.
While parents learn about height, weight, and physical growth milestones from their child’s healthcare providers, parents also need to understand the process of normal developmental growth in order to determine when a child is not making adequate progress toward developmental milestones.
When parents know where normally developing children should be, they are better prepared to share their concerns with healthcare providers and to ask for additional screening. Failure to reach milestones in speaking, acting, playing, and movement may indicate developmental delays or disorders, including autism.
Because autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is diagnosed based on evaluation of a child’s symptoms and not on a medical test, knowing how children develop is critical in assessing whether a child needs further evaluation to diagnose autism. Autism diagnoses are generally made before a child is three years old.
Communication, emotional, and social delays are hallmarks of autism, so knowing at what age children should be exhibiting or mastering certain of these milestones is important for parents to understand. While parental intuition that something just isn’t “right” is certainly valuable, knowledge is power: knowing the signs early can assure that your child will receive a quick diagnosis and early intervention.
There is no one known cause of autism, nor is there a cure for autism. Treatments and interventions, though, can be very effective in improving the daily life of those affected by autism. The sooner a child is diagnosed, the sooner treatment can begin.
For more information on developmental milestones, see the Centers for Disease Control’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early” page.