Does My Child Have Autism?

If you suspect that your child may have autism, you should mention this to your child’s pediatrician. He or she will gather more information and may possibly refer you and your child to a specialist. If your child is referred, the evaluation could consist of observation, completion of one or more checklists or rating scales, and the resulting information will be interpreted and compared to the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders that are included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Then, the evaluator will offer a diagnosis if it is warranted.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development offers the following information as signs that a referral to a specialist is warranted.

The child:

Does not babble or coo by 12 months of age
Does not gesture (point, wave, grasp, etc.) by 12 months of age
Does not say single words by 16 months of age
Does not say two-word phrases on his or her own (rather than just repeating what someone says to him or her) by 24 months of age
Has any loss of any language or social skill at any age