Expert: James Michael Roan - 5/21/2007

Question
My 6 week old son is showing some signs that concern me with him potentially having autism.  He does not make eye contact and avoids it.  If you try to get into his line of sight he will look elsewhere.  He really enjoys looking at ceiling fans, light, and contrasting things (like a dark picture on a white wall).  He arches his back a lot when he stretches too (which some say is a warning sign).  He is consolable when held.  He also grunts and groans a lot during the day.  I do not feel the mother-son connection w/ him as I feel I can't get him to interact.  He will smile but it is when he is looking around.  I had a flu shot (with thimerosal) when I was 14 weeks pregnant and am just now reading about some of the dangers associated with that.  I am very concerned that this flu shot triggered my son's potential autism.  What do you see in terms of early warning signs and do you have any advice about where to go from here.

Answer
Hello Jacque;

The work of Geraldine Dawson at the University of Washington has noted a few behaviors that have some predictive value:

1. No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter

2. No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter

3. No babbling by 12 months

4. No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months

5. No words by 16 months

6. No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months

7. Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

The above information is standard stuff. It is next to impossible to detect anything earlier than 6-9 months at this point. Not reaching to be picked up, no social smiles, and/or an aversion to touch and cuddles are danger signs at 6-9 months.

Six weeks is really quite young, but I do have some advice for you. Recent research reports that planned parent-child interactive games like peek-a-boo and joint attention activities actually make a significant difference in outcomes for children on the autism spectrum. Also, purchase Stanley Greenspan's book about DIR Floortime. He provides techniques for establishing joint attention with children who are socially aloof. It is supported by empirical research. If you live in the U.S., contact your school's special education department and ask for information about their Early Intervention services. They are free.

Kind regards,
James