Expert: James Michael Roan - 1/9/2008

Question
I know I may be paranoid.. but I can't help but feel a little worried My 11 month old son is such an easy going baby. He can easily just sit and play with his toys for hours. He babbles and laughs. Has reached all his motor development milestones.
I guess I am just not use to the behavior. My 1st son was such a high needs baby.. always needing my attention.. very fussy.
So of course I am worried. My 11 month old doesn't always respond to his name.. I'll call his name and he'll just keep on playing, every now and then he'll look. But not all the time. He'd be happy to play by himself.. when I start to play with him.. he really doesn't "play" with me, he may climb on me and laugh.. but he will then go on to another activity.
He doesn't clap or point.. just recently starting imitating waving, but doesnt' do it on purpose. He only says Mama.. and thats indiscriminately, he's not calling me.
He doesn't look me in the face that much either, he won't come up to me and give me eye contact. and when I call his name or look at him and talk, he looks past me, around me, or at his toys.  He will occasionally look at us and laugh and smile, but not all the time.. not that he's not laughing and smiling.. he is, but I guess not while looking at someone.
I know this is going to sound crazy.. but could it be early signs? or am I just being very paranoid and should just count my blessings that I have an easy baby??
Thank you.

Answer
Hi Leigh;

You are not paranoid, just an excellent and brave mother. Yes, these are red flags for a risk for having autism. That does not mean he has autism, just that he is at risk for autism. Should it be determined later that he does have autism, then your bravery will pay off for him in very big ways. Early intervention makes all the difference in the world. The sooner, the better. If you live in the U.S., contact your school district's special education department and ask for you local Early Intervention program contact person and make a referral. Tell them what you have told me and that you want him evaluated in the areas of communication and social development. He does not need to have a diagnosis to get early intervention, just demonstrate delays in communication, social development, and/or cognitive development to qualify for services at no cost to you. There are no conventional tests out there for autism at this age. The M-CHAT starts at 24 months, but don't wait. Get on this immediately. Whatever you do, do NOT let your pediatrician blow this off and tell you to wait a few years or even a few months. ACT TODAY. Meanwhile, play as many interactive games as possible such as peek-a-boo, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, etc. Exaggerate your facial expression and vocal rhythm. Play "I'm going to get you" games also. The idea is to use your voice and facial expression in a way that will teach him that they carry important information and that he should attend to them.

I promise to walk you through this process, I've been doing it for years. Do I think he has autism? I can't tell. He does show some important red flags for his age group and on that basis you should follow through on this.

Kind regards,
James

Sorry Leigh. First determine that his vision and visual tracking and his hearing is o.k.

Regards,
James