Autism Red Flags - Which is the Most Important One?

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Lack of Communication Intent
This is perhaps the tell tail sign of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Not saying that a child who doesn’t want to speak will immediately be on the spectrum. Sometimes children who have other speech and language disorders also suffer from this. However, if you can see that your child is using words to sing, count and label just not using those words to communicate with you… Then your child has a low communication intent.

This means your child would rather do things the hard way than speak up and communicate his/her needs. This usually comes as a hand pull or crying. The child needs to learn the power of using words to get the message across.

Lack of communication intent is also the root cause for all the other red flags. Why would a child want to look at you, respond to his name or share an eye gaze if she isn't interested in communicating with you? Get your child assessed!

Inappropriate Play Skills
When speech and language therapists assess a child, we often look at a child's play skills. Why? Because play skills are directly correlated with the child's ability to relate real-life things and activities with language. If a child is often throwing or mouthing (biting) toys and not playing with the toy how it's supposed to, then you may want to get your child assessed.

What About “Stimming?”, Responding to Name and Eye Contact?
All of the above red flags are what we hear at the clinic every day. These are indeed the most observable signs for ASD. However, these are the surface symptoms. Just as having a cough can have multiple underlying reasons. You must take a look at the WHY the child is having these symptoms. Instead of worrying, go for an assessment as soon as possible. We cannot provide any type of assessment over the internet, so please do consult your local clinic!