Early Signs of Autism in Toddlers: What to Look For
A plain list of the early signs, written for parents who are worried and tired of vague answers. Includes what is worth watching and when to ask for an evaluation.
If you are reading this at eleven at night after a long day, you are in good company. Most parents come to this question quietly, over weeks, noticing small things and wondering whether they are imagining them.
You are probably not imagining them. Parents notice early, and parent concern is one of the most reliable early indicators there is.
Here is what professionals actually look for.
Signs in communication
Limited or no babbling by 12 months. Babbling is early practice for speech. Its absence is worth noting.
Not responding to their name by 12 months. Many parents describe this as wondering whether their child can hear. Hearing tests come back fine, but the child still does not turn.
Few or no words by 16 months, or no two word phrases by 24 months.
Losing skills. A child who was waving, using words, or making eye contact and then stops. Any loss of skills at any age is worth a same week phone call to your pediatrician.
Not pointing to show you things. Around 12 to 14 months most children point at something interesting and then look at you to make sure you saw it too. That checking in is the part that matters.
Signs in social connection
Limited eye contact, or eye contact that comes and goes rather than being used to connect.
Not showing or bringing things to you. Most toddlers bring you a toy simply to share the moment.
Little interest in other children, or interest that does not turn into playing together.
Not copying you. Waving back, clapping along, pretending to talk on a phone.
Difficulty with back and forth games like peekaboo or rolling a ball.
Signs in play and behavior
Lining things up or sorting them rather than playing with them.
Focusing on parts of toys, like spinning the wheels of a car rather than driving it.
Repetitive movements such as hand flapping, rocking, spinning, or walking on toes.
Strong need for sameness. Real distress at small changes in routine, or at a different route to the store.
Intense specific interests that crowd out other play.
Sensory differences. Covering ears at ordinary sounds, distress at clothing tags or food textures, or the opposite, seeking out spinning, pressure, and crashing.
Two things worth saying clearly
One sign on its own usually means very little. Plenty of children line up toys or walk on their toes and are not autistic. Professionals look at patterns across communication, social connection, and behavior.
None of these are anyone's fault. Not yours, not your child's. Autism is a difference in how the brain develops. It is not caused by parenting, screen time, or anything you did or did not do.
When to ask for an evaluation
Call your pediatrician if:
- You are worried. That alone is enough. You do not need a checklist to justify asking.
- Your child loses skills they used to have. Do not wait on this one.
- Your child is missing several of the milestones above.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism screening at 18 and 24 month visits. If your pediatrician has not screened, you can ask directly for the M-CHAT, which is a short parent questionnaire.
Please do not wait and see
You may be told your child is just a late talker, or to give it six months. Sometimes that turns out to be right. But waiting has a real cost, because the years when intervention helps most are the early ones.
You can pursue an evaluation while also hoping it turns out to be nothing. Those are not in conflict. If the evaluation shows typical development, you have lost nothing but an afternoon.
What happens next
An evaluation usually involves a developmental pediatrician, psychologist, or a team. They will watch your child play, ask you a lot of questions, and use structured tools. It is not a test your child can fail.
If your child does receive a diagnosis, that day is hard. It is also the day support becomes available. In California, an autism diagnosis opens access to insurance covered ABA therapy, regional center services, and school support.
If you are in Orange County
BehavioTech provides in home ABA therapy for children across Orange County and Southern California. We are in network with Anthem Blue Cross and Aetna, we take private pay, and we do not run a waitlist.
We do not diagnose, and we will say so plainly. If you need an evaluation we can point you toward people who do them. If you already have a diagnosis and want to know what happens next, call (657) 678-9020 and we will walk you through it, with no pressure to sign anything.
Written by the BehavioTech clinical team. BehavioTech provides in-home and telehealth ABA therapy across Orange County and Southern California, in network with Anthem Blue Cross and Aetna. Call (657) 678-9020 or start an intake.