Early Signs of Autism
Article Sources
- 1. Martínez-Pedraza, Frances de L., and Alice S Carter. “Autism spectrum disorders in young children.” Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America vol. 18,3 (2009): 645-63. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2009.02.002
- 2. Ozonoff, Sally et al. “The onset of autism: patterns of symptom emergence in the first years of life.” Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research vol. 1,6 (2008): 320-8. doi:10.1002/aur.53
- 3. Webb, Sara Jane, and Emily J H Jones. “Early Identification of Autism: Early Characteristics, Onset of Symptoms, and Diagnostic Stability.” Infants and young children vol. 22,2 (2009): 100-118. doi:10.1097/IYC.0b013e3181a02f7f
5. Head Circumference
The size of a baby’s head, also known as head circumference, is measured at every checkup appointment. The size is tracked and also compared to what the normal measurement is in the general population for babies that age. The size of the head and how quickly it grows can indicate certain illnesses.
The majority of the signs of Autism are behavioral, however, head circumference is one early indicator of Autism that is a physical sign. A head size that is small to normal in infancy, accelerated growth between 7-9 months, slowed growth rate at 12 months, and then by the ages of 2-4 has a large head size may indicate a future diagnosis of Autism.3Webb, Sara Jane, and Emily J H Jones. “Early Identification of Autism: Early Characteristics, Onset of Symptoms, and Diagnostic Stability.” Infants and young children vol. 22,2 (2009): 100-118. doi:10.1097/IYC.0b013e3181a02f7f
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