Early signals of autism that parents should know
Missing developmental milestones is a sign, says UCI Health developmental and behavioral pediatrician
IN THE NEWS: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder and the first signs typically appear between the ages of 1 and 2.5. Dr. Peter J. Chung, board-certified pediatrician, medical director of the UCI Health Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders shared with Verywell Mind that diagnosis can begin early because of the developmental milestones physicians look for during well child visits.
“It's hard to make a diagnosis of autism before the age of 1 year. Part of that is because some children will show typical development up until a year of age or so and then may start to show signs of autism between the first 1 to 2 years of age.”
Chung says its important to focus on early intervention, especially in the first six years of brain development because it can impact the child’s long-term trajectory. Chung adds that the more intensive the services, the better the outcome seems to be.
Chung is a board-certified UCI Health pediatrician who specializes in developmental and behavioral pediatric medicine. His clinical interests include medical education, quality improvement, deaf culture, assistive technology, narrative medicine and video games for therapeutic application. He is an associate clinical professor and chief of the Division of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
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UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, has been the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, since 1976. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).