Children's Health Children's Diseases and Conditions Autism

Recognizing the Signs of Autism

Summary & Participants

Although children develop at different rates, it's important to know the warning signs of autism.

Medically Reviewed On: August 05, 2008

Webcast Transcript

ANNOUNCER: Every parent wants their child to grow up healthy, but sometimes problems arise.

Lisa Consolo, Rainbow School: Young children all develop at a different rate, and so it’s normal if your friend’s child maybe doesn’t speak, but walks, and your child maybe walks but doesn’t speak. Those kinds of things are normal. But if your child is exhibiting delays in a variety of different areas, the best place to start is at your pediatrician.

ANNOUNCER: Autism disorders affect about three out of every thousand children aged three-to-ten, it’s important to be aware of some basic red flags.

Dr. Don Sturz, Director of Program Development, Gersh Academy: You want to look in areas as far as language development, social skills, motor development, that type of thing. So if you have a child whose language development is off pace, check it out. Doesn’t seem to be developing the peer interactions, isn’t developing the social awareness and social interaction capabilities that they should be, that appear to be age-appropriate, that’s a red flag.

ANNOUNCER: Genetics and environment are both thought to be potential causes of these disorders, but, despite the myths, poor parenting has never been a factor. Red flags can often be ignored or misunderstood, but the extra attention these kids need can be well worth the effort.

Dr. Don Sturz, Director of Program Development, Gersh Academy: Things are identified as being behavior problems when it’s not really a behavior problem, it’s really a symptom. And there’s a big distinction between the two people will, you know, say, “oh, well, they’ll grow out of it.” And sometimes it’s the case, but frequently not. And so the earlier you can intervene the better.

Lisa, Daughter Has Asperger’s Syndrome: I mean, as hard as it can be to be Jessica’s mom sometimes, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I mean, if I’m overwhelmed, I look at her, and then it’s all worthwhile. I mean, she’s just fantastic.

ANNOUNCER: Thanks for joining us on today’s Once Daily!