By Erin Bock
News 3 On Your Side
Parents of young children are well aware of the tests and vaccines required to ensure their child's physical development and well-being. The American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending that parents take steps to ensure their child's mental and emotional development as well.News 3 On Your Side
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Stumble It!The AAP announced its recommendation on Monday that all children under the age of two years old get tested twice for autism spectrum disorder. According to a press release sent out by the organization, signs of autism can appear within a child's first year rather than at 18 months when language delays become obvious. The organization said that an earlier diagnosis can lead to more effective intervention and a better quality of life for children with autism and their families.
The AAP cited several actions that could be possible signs of autism in infants, including:
- Not responding to their name when called
- Not looking at objects when parents point them out
- Lack of baby talk, or babbling
- Not making eye contact with others
- Smiling late
According to Renee Ho, a special education teacher at Bridges Learning Center in Columbus, autism can manifest itself in different ways in children, so parents should not rely heavily on pre-determined signs and symptoms.
"I would recommend to parents in general, as a fatherly-motherly intuition, if you notice that something is not normal - and you will know as a parent - that's a red flag on its own," she said.
"I wouldn't say, 'look for this, this or this,' because its different in every case."
Bridges Learning Center is a school specifically geared toward helping children of all ages that have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Ho said the school practices early intervention and helps children learn life skills and skills they would learn in school to help them become more independent. One of the school's goals is to be able to integrate the children into the traditional school system.
Ho said that the skills the children are learning can be applied to everyone.
"I just believe that you can't start young enough to teach students, autistic or any student for that matter, things that everyone needs at a young age," Ho said.
These things include routine, consistency and independent living skills, she added.
Ho believes that the AAP's recommendation is a good idea.
"I definitely think it's great for the parents to go ahead and do that," she said,"I know there's a lot of buzz lately about autism, more so than before, and it's definitely not going to hurt anything."
"I think it's great that there's more awareness for a good reason."
To read more about the AAP's findings and to take a quiz to look for common signs of autism in your child, visit the organization's Web site.
For additional information about autism including video demonstrations of common signs, visit the Web site for Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy group.
