3 Steps to Take Today if You’re Worried Your Toddler Might Have Autism

by Dr. Mary Barbera

You’re worried about your toddler, aren’t you?

Maybe your child’s daycare teacher is indicating that something isn’t quite right. He may not be talking to other kids, not fitting in, playing alone too much or worse yet, hitting other kids.

Or maybe your child is at home with you all day but when you take him out or talk to friends with kids his age, you are noticing something that’s concerning.

He may even be receiving a little speech therapy or early intervention and you might already be on a wait list for an evaluation by a Developmental Pediatrician.

But as time goes on, the wait is producing such stress that you find yourself lying awake most nights worrying.

Even if your child does not have any severe autism symptoms, if you or anyone is concerned about a language delay, excessive tantrums, lack of play, obsessions or anything else, you need to trust your gut, stop worrying and take action today by following these 3 easy steps.

1) Compare typical milestones to your child’s abilities and keep track of these, especially between well-child visits. The CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html) has lists of typical milestones at different ages. This should help you see what your child should be doing (like pointing, drinking from an open cup, or using 2-word phrases).

2) Don’t freak out or stick your head in the sand. If your toddler is delayed, talk to his pediatrician or daycare/preschool teacher about getting a free early intervention evaluation. Also, since the wait times are often months or years, get a referral for an evaluation by a Developmental Pediatrician. You can always cancel this appointment if you can things turn around over the next few months.

3) Start investigating autism and ABA (that’s short for Applied Behavior Analysis), which is the most proven treatment for autism. And please know that ABA doesn’t have to be done at a specialized clinic. In fact, I’ve created easy ABA programs and a system for parents to help their toddlers using easy materials (like a shoe box) and toys like Mr. Potato Head®.

Acting today might not stop you from worrying but worrying alone is not helping you or your child at all.

Regardless of whether your child is eventually diagnosed with autism or whether he’s just going through a difficult patch in his development, these 3 steps will get you started and help you figure out what to do next.

You’re not alone and these might be the most important actions you ever take to help your child reach his or her fullest potential.

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Dr. Mary Barbera “fell” into the autism world in 1999 when her first-born son, Lucas was diagnosed with autism one day before he turned 3. In the past 2 decades, Mary became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, wrote a best-selling book (The Verbal Behavior Approach) earned a PhD, and created 3 online training programs for parents and professionals. For more information and a free 3-step guide to get more information to help your toddler, go to MaryBarbera.com/Toddler.