All parents are told to track their children's developmental milestones, but autism milestones may look different or occur on a different timeline than expected. Therefore, it can be helpful to know how milestones might differ in a child with autism versus a child without autism, and how tracking milestones in children with ASD can be a bit tricky.

While it is not always possible (or even recommended) to diagnose autism in babies or toddlers, being aware of developmental nuances and delays can be key for successful early interventions. Here’s what to be aware of as you watch your own child learn and grow.

Autism vs. Neurotypical Development

When you’re looking at milestones for autism vs. normal development, it’s not always easy to pinpoint what’s different – if anything. That’s because there is no one single way that children with autism develop. Nor is there a fully reliable blueprint for tracking the physical, emotional, language, and social development of a child with ASD.

The first thing to know is that a child with ASD may reach certain developmental milestones early, late, or not at all. For instance, research shows that for at least one key milestone – walking – children on the spectrum are actually less likely to experience delays than neurotypical children.1

It’s not only the timing of milestones that may be different in a child with autism. Some autistic children may reach early milestones on time but then fall behind as time goes on. Or, a child may achieve a milestone but struggle to actually apply it in their day-to-day life. In some cases, an autistic child may even hit all or some of their developmental milestones right on time and then lose one or more of these skills as they age.

For all of these reasons, it’s not quite as simple as looking out for autism developmental delays. The pace and application of milestones vary just as much among autistic children as it does among other children, and usually more context is needed before a diagnosis can be made.

Early Signs and Simple Milestones for Autism

Despite the trickiness of diagnosing autism based on developmental milestones, there are some early red flags that parents may want to be aware of. These signs are outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and include2:

Child does not respond to their name by 9 months
Child avoids or does not maintain eye contact
Child does not show clear facial expressions by 9 months
Child exhibits few gestures (waving, pointing, clapping, etc.) by 12 months
Child exhibits restrictive, repetitive, or obsessive behaviors or interests
Child is easily upset by changes in routine
Child flaps their hands, rocks their body back and forth, or regularly spins in circles
Child is highly sensitive to certain textures, smells, or tastes

The CDC does mention that delays in language, motor, cognitive, and learning skills may occur as well. However, as mentioned, some autistic children do display some of these skills early rather than late, or they display them and later lose them, so looking at developmental delays alone is often not enough.

What To Do If You’re Concerned About Developmental Milestones

The first thing to do if you are worried that your child isn’t meeting their developmental milestones is to relax and take a deep breath. All children, autistic or not, learn and grow at their own pace, and many children with delays do end up being neurotypical. That being said, developmental monitoring can be instrumental in providing early intervention therapies to those children who require it.

Based on the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), your pediatrician should be providing your child with a general developmental screening test at their 9-, 18-, and 30-month wellness check-ups, and autism-specific screening tests at their 18- and 24-month visits.3 These screening tests are an ideal time to speak to your child’s doctor about any concerns that you are having. And if your pediatrician shares your concerns, they will be able to point you in the direction of what to do next.

Want to know more? Contact us for additional information on autism assessments and therapies.

References:

Autism Milestones: Tracking Development of Children with ASD

Autism vs. Neurotypical Development

Early Signs and Simple Milestones for Autism

What To Do If You’re Concerned About Developmental Milestones