Red Flags That Don’t Indicate Autism In Children

Watching your baby grow is a blissful experience. But it comes with some challenges. New parents observe the small changes in day-to-day behaviours of their little ones that indicate the baby is building new skills and abilities.

Parents often ask questions like – “My child isn’t talking yet. Is it autism?”, “I can’t get my child to make eye contact. Is it autism?” What appear to be red flags are probably not signs of autism.

Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate, the earliest signs of autism aren’t the presence of unexpected behaviour. Rather, it is the absence of skill or ability that develops by a certain age.

We are here to talk about some of those red flags that thankfully don’t indicate autism in children.

Do These Symptoms Have A Connection With Autism? Probably Not!

The following symptoms do not indicate autism in children:

1. Doesn’t respond to your call: If your little one does not respond to your call, there’s a chance that they are either very engaged in play or have some level of hearing loss.

Such a symptom does not indicate autism in children. However, it is advisable to consult the doctor if you find that this is an ongoing issue.

2. Talks later than other kids: Talking later than most of the kids is one of the autism behaviours. Some of them never learn to talk at all. But if your child develops normally except for not learning to talk yet, it does not indicate autism.

Speech delays can be the result of other factors. Your child may have hearing problems or issues that impact the brain such as aphasia, which affects the part of the brain that controls language.

Many of these issues can be treated and cured. The good news is that your child’s speech will progress in its own time.

Although such signs do not indicate autism in children, it is advisable to consult a doctor if this issue persists.

3. Prefers being alone: If your little one prefers being alone, it does not indicate autism. Although we have heard that children with autism tend to be introverted, there can be other reasons too.

Loud noise or light can prompt the little one to withdraw. Some children also prefer to quietly read or draw instead of playing around with peers.

However, it is advisable to consult a doctor if you feel that something more is going on.

4. Shows learning problems: If your little one hasn’t learned letters and numbers like others of their age, is there any chance that he/ she has autism? Probably not.

If your child is having a tough time in school, they may simply be developing more slowly than their peers.

However, if you think that there’s a real issue, you can consult a doctor.

5. Lines things up: Children with autism like to arrange their toys a certain way. However, there could be other reasons too. Perhaps your little one loves to create order from chaos.

You can keep a good eye on your child to see whether they line up objects for a reason, or whether he/ she does it playfully.

These patterns of behaviour might be a red flag. But there are high chances that these do not mean your child has autism. Your little one will learn and progress at their own pace. He/ she might interact and play with their peers in their own way.