Autism Diagnosis in Children Two Years and Under
June 3, 2006 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
I first heard Dr. Rebecca Landa of the Kennedy Krieger Institute present her research on detecting autism in children under the age of two at the annual conference of The Seaver and New York Autism Center of Excellence a few years ago. Jim and I, in reflecting on Charlie’s first two years of life and especially his babyhood, think that he could well have been diagnosed with autism in his first 12-18 months. (Charlie was diagnosed with autism on July 22, 1999, shortly after his second birthday.)
- Charlie did not display joint attention.
- Charlie’s all gross motor development was delayed–he rolled over independently at 9 months, for instance–he had a lot of difficulty coordinating his movements.
Dr. Landa’s research on “Autism-related Developmental ‘Red Flags’ Identifiable At Age Two In Chilldren has now been published in the Journal for Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
We just had the “stopped talking” thing with Sam between 14 and 15 months.
Charlie also did not talk—did not have any words—when he was approaching 12 and then 18 months.