Expert: Valerie Herskowitz - 10/1/2011

Question
Hi, my name is Noora, I am a mother of 3 kids, 2 boys ages 3 and 2 and a 7 month old baby girl. My two boys were diagnosed with autism a little while back. And now i'm concerned about my 7 month old. She does like to smile while I play and does lots of babbling noises. Also, she laughs at my peek-a-boo game and has wonderful eye conact most of the times. She is a happy baby most of the time. She does not crawl until now, she does like bath time but hates while I wipe her mouth after dinner time. She also does these hand and feet motion at same time which is a circulation mode. I am very worried and need to know if she too does have autism? Thank you for your cooperation.

Answer
Hi Noora

Your daughter certainly needs to be followed carefully since she has two siblings with autism. It may be a little too early to tell as she is smiling and being social. There are also some siblings that don't get full blown autism but may develop some characteristics like speech delays or sensory issues. So be very attentive. A lot of babies don't like getting their mouth wiped, so that in of its self is not concerning. Not sure about the feet and hand motions. Just a tad too early to tell. When she gets a little closer to her birthday, if she isn't seeming to develop language, or if other things develop, I would bring her in for screening.