A different way of
experiencing the world.
You should know exactly who is working with your child, and exactly what they are qualified to do.
- This page is for general education. It is not medical or diagnostic advice. If you have concerns about your child's development, speak with your pediatrician or a qualified licensed provider.
What autism is?
Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental difference in how a brain develops and how a person takes in the world. It shows up in communication, in social interaction, in how sound and texture and light get processed, and in how emotion is regulated.
Children on the spectrum may repeat movements or phrases, prefer predictable routines, or find change genuinely difficult. Some behavior that looks like defiance is a child struggling to communicate a need or manage a feeling that has arrived faster than they can handle it.
It is not caused by parenting. It is not caused by screens. It is not something a child grows out of, and it is not something that needs curing.
What often comes with it
Deep focus on a subject. Memory that startles people. Pattern recognition. Directness. A way of thinking that arrives at an answer other people walked straight past.
These are not consolation prizes offered to soften a diagnosis. They come from the same wiring.
Every profile is different, and development happens on an individual timeline. There is no single path and no correct pace.
Communication
Daily living
Play and connection
Directness
Signs parents often notice first
Signs usually begin to appear in early childhood. Not every child shows the same ones, and many show only a few.
- Limited or inconsistent eye contact
- A preference for playing alone
- Differences in recognizing or expressing emotion
- Difficulty starting or keeping up interactions with other children
- Discomfort with certain kinds of physical touch
- Inconsistent responses to speech, questions or their own name
- Difficulty expressing wants, needs or preferences
- Repeating words or phrases, straight away or much later
- Repetitive movements or patterns of behavior
- Limited interest in pretend play
- Difficulty starting or keeping up interactions with other children
- Heightened sensitivity to sound, texture, light or smell
- Losing skills that had already been learned
- This page is for general education. It is not medical or diagnostic advice. If you have concerns about your child's development, speak with your pediatrician or a qualified licensed provider.
If something on that list sounded
familiar
If something on that list sounded familiar
Ask for a developmental evaluation by name.
"I would like a referral for a developmental evaluation" is a far more useful sentence to your pediatrician than "I am a little worried."
Write things down.
Dates, examples, what you noticed and when. Specifics move faster through a system than impressions do.
Ask for a developmental evaluation by name.
"I would like a referral for a developmental evaluation" is a far more useful sentence to your pediatrician than "I am a little worried."
If your child is under three, ask about Early Start.
California's early intervention program is often the fastest door in, and a formal diagnosis is not always required to begin.
If your child is under three, ask about Early Start.
California's early intervention program is often the fastest door in, and a formal diagnosis is not always required to begin.
Get on lists early.
Waits for evaluation are long in the Bay Area. You can always turn down an appointment. You cannot get back the months you did not spend waiting.
Write things down.
Dates, examples, what you noticed and when. Specifics move faster through a system than impressions do.
Get on lists early.
Waits for evaluation are long in the Bay Area. You can always turn down an appointment. You cannot get back the months you did not spend waiting.
If something on that list sounded
familiar
If something on that list sounded familiar
Ask for a developmental evaluation by name.
"I would like a referral for a developmental evaluation" is a far more useful sentence to your pediatrician than "I am a little worried."
Write things down.
Dates, examples, what you noticed and when. Specifics move faster through a system than impressions do.
If your child is under three, ask about Early Start.
California's early intervention program is often the fastest door in, and a formal diagnosis is not always required to begin.
Get on lists early.
Waits for evaluation are long in the Bay Area. You can always turn down an appointment. You cannot get back the months you did not spend waiting.
Why earlier tends to help
There is no cure for autism, and framing one as the goal
misunderstands what autism is.
There is no cure for autism, and framing one as the goal misunderstands what autism is.
What early identification does offer is time. Time to understand how your child learns, time to build communication before frustration sets in, and time to put support in place before the gap between your child and their environment gets wider than it needs to be.
It also helps you. A parent who understands what is happening makes better decisions, asks better questions, and spends less of their energy guessing.
What early identification does offer is time. Time to understand how your child learns, time to build communication before frustration sets in, and time to put support in place before the gap between your child and their environment gets wider than it needs to be.
It also helps you. A parent who understands what is happening makes better decisions, asks better questions, and spends less of their energy guessing.
Still not sure what you are looking at?
You do not need to have your questions organised.
That is normal, and it is a good reason to talk to someone. We are happy to answer questions even if you never become a client.
Most people who contact us open with I do not really know where to begin. That is a perfectly good place to begin.