Two days ago we celebrated World Autism Awareness Day, in which we want to highlight the problem of stigma, lack of awareness and insufficient support structures, among other issues. One of the oldest claims is that of the importance of an early diagnosis of autism.
On April 2, different associations and doctors have reiterated the need for an early diagnosis of the disease of neurobiological origin, before three years of life, to improve the quality of life of autistic children.
In Spain, one of every 150 births is of a child with autism, and if these are treated as soon as possible by professionals (from different fields, since it is a transversal treatment) that improvement can be achieved. But, Are there any signs that can make us suspect that our child is autistic?
If a baby with more than one year does not smile, does not look in the eyes and it takes time to speak, he may suffer from this developmental disorder, although remember that autism manifests itself in a different degree and way in each person.
The member of the section of Child Psychiatry of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP), Josep Cornellá, has also influenced the opposite side: there are some cases diagnosed as autism and in reality they are not.
This increase in false diagnoses of autism occurs especially in adopted children from other countries, because although they may present characteristic symptoms of the disease (lack of communication and poor social interaction ...), this is due, in many cases, to the poor linkage that they had during their first two years of life (even cases of abuse) and that makes them more reserved people.
But a baby born in a family environment usually develops the ability to smile at your father's relatives and look them in the eye pretty soon. If this does not occur when the baby is one year old, it could be a sign of autism and should be valued by a professional.
