Spotting Signs oF

Autism
From Birth through Kindergarten

This presentation is brought to you by Leslie Burby of

Autism Parenting Magazine. More Information can be
Found at www.AutismParentingMagazine.com
Five Most Common
Types of Autism
What I thought Autism WAS…
 Loses abilities that once had
 Can’t walk
 Delayed Speech
 Doesn’t make eye contact
Then I became a parent
CDC “if you’re concerned-
ACT early”
Should you be concerned?

The Autism and Developmental Disabilities

Monitoring (ADDM) Network
 Most not diagnosed until after age 4
 Asperger’s the median diagnosed age is 6
 Parent’s notice a developmental delay by 6
months

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
At birth
Your baby slept through the night?
You are so lucky. Was I? Babies are supposed
to wake when hungry.
 feeding issues

I mean not being able to get a baby to

drink from a bottle or having a baby
with such low muscle tone that they
don’t even have enough facial muscles
to suck formula without half the
contents running down their chin.
 Developmental Milestones
 Cognition (thinking, problem-solving, etc)
 Motor Coordination (gross/fine)
 Social Interaction (initiating peer contact)
 Adaptive (dressing, eating, washing)

Please note that having a developmental delay in one or

a few categories DOES NOT make a child autistic. There
needs to be a combination of several delays and sensory
issues to warrant a series of tests for a diagnosis.
Motor delays By age one
Gross Motor
sits without support
crawls
pulls self to standing position
and stands unaided
walks with aid
rolls a ball in imitation of
adult
Fine Motor
reaches, grasps, puts object in
mouth
picks things up with pincer
grasp (thumb and one finger)
transfers object from one
hand to the other
drops and picks up toy
Motor skills by age 2
Between ages one and two
 Gross Motor
 walks alone
 walks backwards
 picks up toys from floor without falling
 pulls toys, pushes toys
 seats self in child size chair
 walks up and down stairs with hand held
 moves to music
 Fine Motor
 builds tower of three small blocks
 puts four rings on stick
 places five pegs in pegboard
 turns pages two or three at a time
 scribbles

 turns knobs
 throws small ball
 paints with whole arm movement, shifts hands, makes strokes
Six months old

Not placing feet on floor Using feet against hard surface

Speech/Lang Milestones
 Recognizes name  Understands “NO”
 Says 2-3 words
 Uses 10-20 words

 Imitates familiar
 Combines two words
words  Waves good-bye
 Understands simple  Plays pat-a-cake
instructions
 Makes animal sounds
 Recognizes words as  Points to body parts
symbols for objects
(car: garage)  Uses words like “more”
By Age One By Age Two
Sensory Issues
More than just 5 senses!

3 Less Known Senses:

1. Vestibular-feeling of
balance, movement and
position in space

2. Proprioceptive – body
awareness and posture

3. Interoceptive – internal
body and organ perception and
regulation
No need for a playpen – my
daughter wouldn’t leave a
blanket for fear of touching
the prickly grass.
Sensory Processing Disorder
Hypo= less sensitive
Hyposensitive Vestibular Dysfunction
 Craves fast, spinning, and/or intense movement experiences
 Loves being tossed in the air
 Could spin for hours and never appear to be dizzy
 Always spinning in a swivel chair/getting upside down positions
 Loves to swing as high as possible and for long periods of time
 Is a "thrill-seeker"; dangerous at times
 Rocks body, shakes leg/s, or head while sitting
 Likes sudden or quick movements
SPD continued
Hyper = more sensitive
Hypersensitivity to Oral Input –
 · Extremely picky eater (diet mainly of
mushy things)
 · Drinks must be a certain temp
 · Extremely picky about cups and feel of
nipples
 Never mouthed objects
My Daughter’s list
 As a toddler Mary…
 · Is constantly seeking thrill
 · · Loves to swing as high and fast as possible
 · Becomes distressed about having nails clipped or things in her hair
 · Likes to wear hats/hoods
 · Must have a hat/hood on to keep her hair from flapping against her head when jumping or swinging
 · Hates the wind or anything that causes her hair to move
 · Has frequent temper tantrums that can last 45 minutes
 · Has many mood swings
 · Becomes violent at times with herself (for no apparent reason will start hitting herself on the head or head-banging things)
 · Needs to be wrestled down to have her diaper changed
 · Likes to wear sunglasses
 · Does not stay asleep – very easily awaken
 · Is nearly impossible to get to sleep
 · Loves hugs...although they usually have to be requested or initiated by her
 · Likes to sit on different objects – will sit on books, boxes, cans, toys, etc.
 · Sucks two fingers upside-down to soothe self
 · Randomly throws herself onto the floor
 · Is extremely difficult to feed (she is a very picky)
 · In constant motion – when sitting or excited her legs and arms are constantly flailing
 · Bangs or hits her head –not just when frustrated
 · Purposefully sticks her fingers in the back of her throat to initiate her gag-reflex
 · Seems very lazy –if anything is too heavy or too much work she gives up

Comorbid Issues
 • Gastrointestinal disorders
 • Sensory problems
 • Seizures and epilepsy
 • Intellectual disability
 • Fragile X syndrome
 • ADHD
 • Bipolar disorder
 • Obsessive compulsive disorder
 • Tourette syndrome
 • General anxiety disorder
 • Tuberous sclerosis
 • Clinical depression
 • Visual problems.
http://autism-help.org/comorbid-disorders-autistic-spectrum.htm
Early Intervention
Who to turn to

 National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) at

1-800-695-0285 or visit http://nichcy.org/

 Birth to Three Program www.birth23.org

 Department of Developmental Services www.ct.gov/dds

Click icon to add picture

Who to turn to
National Dissemination Center for
Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) at 1-
800-695-0285 or visit http://nichcy.org/

Birth to Three Program www.birth23.org

Department of Developmental Services

www.ct.gov/dds
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