Compare the Signs
Here you will see a list of the early warning signs of an autism spectrum disorder. The early warning signs, or symptoms, are organized into three categories:
- Social
- Communication
- Restrictive and Repetitive Behaviors (RRBI)
Clicking on one of the categories will show or hide the list of associated behaviors. Clicking on any behavior will bring up all available videos that specifically show a comparison between a typically developing child and a child who is on the autism spectrum. "Grayed out" (non-clickable) items do not currently have comparative videos available. If you hover over any of the behavior keywords for a few seconds you will see a brief definition to help guide you.
QUICK TIP: We recommend you see the learning course Detecting Autism at an Early Age in order to learn more about the 3 domains of autism prior to using this feature.
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Christian's Speech Therapy Session with Christine Lenahan
Lack of communication is one of the warning signs of autism. In this clip, Christian is shown during a one on one speech therapy session with Christine Lenahan, a Speech Language Pathologist at his School. Ms. Lenehan explains how helping Christian communicate involves teaching him to use gestures, signs and eye contact as well as eye speech to express his need and wants. She compares Christian's development to that of his typically developing peers, who are shown using short phrases, eye contact and gestures, such as pointing, to communicate during a typical school day.
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Demonstrating Typical and Partial Imitation
Dr. Smith distinguishes between "partial" imitation during a specific situation and "typical" imitation that results in the aquisition and creative incorporation of a new skill into the child's play, a learning process often lacking in children with autism.
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Lack of Exploration
Dr. Christopher Smith considers the typical and atypical reactions of two 27 month old twins' reactions when they are given children's books.
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Ben Feeds Himself and Nathan Doesn't
Possible warning signs for autism include a reduced motivation and ability to master various daily living skills. In this clip, we see how Benjamin, Nathan's unaffected twin brother is attempting to feed himself, whereas Nathan displays a delayed ability to manipulate his spoon and, seemingly, little interest in developing this skill, though he is clearly hungry.
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Twins Playing with Mom
Dr. Smith narrates a video comparison of twins during a routine play session with mom. One twin, Nathan, is on the autism spectrum, while the other, Benjamin, is typically developing. Compared to Benjamin's enjoyment and easy engagement in the session, Nathan's enjoyment in the interaction is dubious, characterized by minimal sustained eye contact, smiling or social reciprocity.
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Unusual Pointing
Dr. Christopher Smith discusses key differences in the pointing employed by a typically developing child and a child with neurodevelopmental delays. Whereas typically developing children will regularly request or locate objects by pointing with a single, clearly extended index finger, children with developmental delays may instead reach with their whole hand.
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A Birthday Party
Dr. Smith explains the subtle differences evident when an examiner invites a typically developing child and a child on the spectrum to engage in a pretend birthday party. Whereas the typically developing child is receptive to the examiner's cues, demonstrating an interest and familiarity with the routine of a birthday party, the child with autism appears detached from the examiner, unresponsive to her cues and unable to follow the theme of the play.
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Feeding Baby Doll
The following clip demonstates the ease with which a typically developing child engages in pretend play with the examiner, feeding the baby doll after only a subtle cue: "The baby is hungry." By comparision, Tommy, a child with autism, struggles with the activity, requiring extensive effort from the examiner before he feeds the baby doll. Further, his understanding of the pretend play even after this action is completed is unclear. Commentary is provided by Dr. Christopher Smith.
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Playing with Doll
Dr. Smith compares a typcial child to a child on the autism spectrum with a pretend play task. The typical child is totally engaged in the imaginary activity whereas the child on the spectrum does not respond to multiple cues and shows no interest in the activity.
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Peek a Boo
Dr. Smith discusses how a typical child is engaged in the game of peekaboo, sharing her enjoyment in the game by making a clear effort to play both parts (hiding and finding) and keep the interaction going. By comparison, a child on the spectrum, when presented with the game of peekaboo, shows no interest in continuing the interaction, though he may respond reflexively to some aspects of the game.
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Hopping Frog
In this clip, an examiner prompts two children, one typically developing (Cassidy) and one on the spectrum (Tommy), to use imitation and imaginative play. Dr. Christopher Smith compares the different levels of imaginative play demonstrated by Cassidy to Tommy's limited response and engagement in the task.
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Calling a Child's Name
Dr. Smith discusses how failing to respond to another person's voice is one of the first symptoms that a parent may notice when a child is at risk for autism. This clip provides several examples of how typically developing children reflexively respond to their name, whereas children with autism often do not respond when someone calls their name despite numerous, varied attempts to gain their attention.
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A Simple Request
Dr. Smith descirbes the many components that must be coordinate to carry out a simple request, including eye contact, communicative speech and gesture. Given that eeach of these skills may be challenging for a child with autism, many children with autism may chose to act for themselves, before they think or attempt to request help from others.
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Lack of Spontaneous Production of Language
Dr. Smith compares a typical child's frequent use of speech with his mother to the notable silence of two children on the spectrum. Whereas the typically developing child in this clip vocalizes either to express his needs or as part of a social interchange, the children on the spectrum in this clip rarely direct sounds of any kind toward their mother, though she frequently speaks to them and attempts to engage them.
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Climbing Compare
In this clip, we see two typically developing children curious and excited to climb different objects. By contrast, a child with autism seems both disinterested in climbing down the stairs and physically challenged to do so.
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Pretend Birthday Compare
Lack of interest in pretend play is one of the warning signs of autism. Evaluator Connor Puleo tries to engage Ryan, who has autism, in a pretend birthday party. Ryan, for the most part, shows little interest in this pretend play and actively tries to avoid the interaction. By contrast, Ryan's two typically developing siblings demonstrate their interest, understanding and participation in the game by cutting the cake, cleaning up the plates and singing a birthday song.
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Benjamin and Nathan Playing with Shaving Cream
While Nathan is initially interested in the shaving cream his mother shows him, he quickly loses interest and cries when his mother tries to keep him involved. In contrast, Benjamin asks for more of the cream and shows good mastery motivation when he picks up the shaving cream can and imitates his mother's actions in an attempt to make the shaving cream come out of the can all by himself.
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Three Examples of Wandering
Children with autism may demonstrate a wandering or directionless behavior when left to their own devices, rather than engaging with others or in appropriate play. In this video, all three children on the autism spectrum (Wynston, Evan, and Riley) appear to wander without clear purpose or direction, overlooking the many toys and people around them.
