Autism-World

Ask:

My three week old baby avoids eye contact most of the time. Sometimes, she will look me in the eye for a second or two and then turn her head. Even if we are talking to her, making faces, etc. I have heard that this is an early sign of autism. Or is it normal for little babies like that to not focus on my eyes or face yet. This is my first baby, so I don’t really know what they are supposed to do at this age yet and what is normal behavior.

Answer:

The only way to really know is to see a specialist. Autism has a wide variety of characteristics ranging in intensity from mild to severe. One child with autism does not behave like another child with the same diagnosis. Children and adolescents with autism typically:

Have difficulty communicating with others.
Exhibit repetitious behaviors, such as rocking back and forth, head banging, or touching or twirling objects.
Have a limited range of interests and activities.
May become upset by a small change in their environment or daily routine.
In addition to these characteristics, some children with autism experience hypersensitivity to hearing, touch, smell, or taste. Symptoms of autism can be seen in early infancy, but the condition also may appear after months of normal development. In most cases, however, it is not possible to identify a specific event that triggers the disorder.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Ask and answer.