Characteristics of Autism that Can Appear in Babies, Parents Need to Know
The characteristics of autism can appear from childhood. (Photo: Illustration/iStock)
- Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental condition that makes it difficult for a person to communicate or interact. Health experts use the term ASD because autism is a spectrum, meaning it can cause a variety of behaviors and characteristics with varying degrees of severity.
They call it a developmental disorder because it usually develops before a person is 2 years old. However, a person can be diagnosed with ASD at any age. Quoted from the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO), the abilities and needs of people with autism vary over time. Some autistic people can live independently, but there are also some who have severe disabilities and need lifelong support and care.
Until now, it is not known for certain what causes autism. However, several factors can increase the risk of autism, such as genetics, environment, history of certain diseases, and premature birth.
Quoted from Medical News Today, here are the characteristics of autism from infancy that you need to know.
1. Rarely makes eye contact
Someone who has autism tends to avoid eye contact when talking to other people. Not only that, children with autism also have difficulty focusing on instructed objects. For example, when a parent points towards an object, the child will usually look in the direction pointed. Meanwhile, children with autism usually have difficulty understanding nonverbal instructions and may not pay attention to the person they are talking to or the object being pointed at.
2. Does not respond when his name is called
Normally, babies can respond when their name is called when they are around 6 months old. However, a study conducted in 2017 revealed that babies with ASD often do not respond when their name is called, even after they are 9 months old.
3. Difficulty in nonverbal communication
Babies aged 9 months and over are usually able to carry out nonverbal communication, such as pointing to objects or imitating sounds they hear. A study conducted in 2019 found that at the age of 18 months, children with ASD tend to have minimal nonverbal communication. This can be a sign that the child is experiencing delays in the development of his language skills.
4. Has limited facial expressions
At the age of 4 months, babies can usually imitate expressions such as smiling or frowning. Then at the age of 6 months, babies have begun to recognize and respond to other people's emotions. On the other hand, babies with autism may not respond to smiles or other facial expressions. They may also respond to certain expressions or experiences with inappropriate facial expressions.
5. Forgetting skills that have been learned
Babies with ASD may forget or lose previously learned abilities. A 2015 study found that almost 1/3 of autistic children lost some of the skills they had learned when they reached pre-school age.