Expert: James Michael Roan - 2/27/2008

Question
My son is 5 months old.  He's only laughed a handful of times and rarely makes eye contact.  I call his name and he doesn't turn his head.  He's a pretty fussy baby and requires a lot of attention.  He will only lay by himself for maybe 5 minutes before he starts fussing.  He will follow an object if you hold it in front of him.  However he hates tummy time and won't raise his head while lying on his stomach.  He can hold his own weight, standing, while holding on to my hands.  Should I be concerned?

Answer
Hi Lacy;

Currently, there is no published research on reliable markers for determining risk for autism at this age. What we do know is that the only research supported behavior indicating risk for autism is "failing to orient to name" from 6 months onward. I would keep a close eye on him over the next few (2-3) months and keep some notes on the behaviors listed for 6-12 month red flags for autism I have published below.

6-12 Month Markers:

·   Infrequent eye contact
·   Failure to orient to name
·   Does not smile in response to smiles from others
·   Social and emotional passivity
·   Fixation on objects

By 12 Months:

·   Poor or no eye contact
·   Failure to orient to name
·   Poor imitation
·   No babbling by 12 months
·   No gesturing by 12 months

By 16 Months:

·   No single words by 16 months
·   No pointing to objects or events of interest in an effort to share

By 24 Months:

·   No spontaneous two-word phrases
·   Loss of any language or social skills at any age

Kind regards,
James