There are quite a lot of different but similarly related disorders that fall under the umbrella of Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Autism, Aspergers, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Obcessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) are the most commonly known.

Some children that

eventually get diagnosed with these disorders don't show many if any signs of it until around the age of 18 months. Some don't show any signs until around 3 years. Children with very mild ASD's might not show any signs until they are at school and starting to struggle with learning and/or behavioural problems. Many do show signs as early as 6 months old, but no one notices because they don't know what is normal, what is a "phase", what is an odd personality quirk, and what is a sign of something being not quite normal.

One thing I want to express while I have the chance is that just because a child has an ASD, it doesn't automatically necessarily make it a bad thing. My eldest son has aspergers, and although it can make some things a little more troublesome for him, there are positive sides to it that more than make up for any problems. For example; he has a lot of trouble with telling a story, especially making up a fictional one. This makes it harder for him to lie, but he struggles to get by with certain parts of his schooling. On the flip side, he can memorise everything on a very detailed map very quickly and easily, he draws with intense detail and he is also very good at maths, and in these areas, when he applies himself, his ability far exceeds that of his peers. Of course some children have ASD's to such a severe degree that they need full-time special care, but these children are few and far between. Most children with ASD's have their condition mildly enough for them to live a relatively normal life.

There is a lot of information out there about what these conditions are, the symptoms of each one, getting a diagnosis, treatments/ therapys, possible causes, etc, etc, etc. There isn't very much about the very early signs that children show which can alert a parent to a need to get their child assessed in the first place. Many parents have no idea that their child doesn't fit into the "normal" boundaries of expected childhood behaviour and ability until after the child is at school and not doing very well.

I'm going to list the things that my three boys exhibited as odd little traits in their first couple of years of life. Keep in mind, every child is different, every child can show odd behaviour, and one or two oddities is not a problem unless it actually becomes a problem. All children have their little odd behaviours, they try something new, if it has an effect that works for them, they will keep doing it. It is not a diagnosable condition of any kind until there is a whole heap of combined oddities displayed by the same child over an extended period of time. And lastly, reading a list of possible signs/symptoms of any condition does not mean that your child has that condition, even if what you just read describes them perfectly. If you suspect something about your child is not quite normal, see a paediatrician about it.

The early signs of an ASD that have been exhibited by my three boys, between the ages of 6 months and 2 years (not in any particular order and not all have been displayed by all three):

• Compulsive and obcessive rocking; suckling; hitting head (to sleep, when upset, etc).
• Obsession/excessive fascination with items that are similar (same colour, shape, etc).
• Obsession/excessive fascination in things that move (wheels turning, things spinning).
• Excessive reluctance to get dirty/sticky; obsession with being clean; excessive fascination with the feeling of a certain thing (eg: feathers, fur, velcro).
• Food must be exactly the right taste, colour, shape, texture, and size, on same plate with same spoon or it won't be touched; reluctance to put things in mouth; obsession with having a certain thing in mouth/hand.
• Lack of ability/tendency to make eye contact.
• Delayed speach; speach only attempted when child knows they can say it perfectly correct in both sound and context.
• Excessive independence; lack of age appropriate social interaction; abnormal lack of seperation anxiety.
• Obsession/determined persistence to repeat the same mundane action over and over again, sometimes for hours (opening/closing something, moving an item back and forth).
• Lining up items that are similar in excessive and perfect rows/patterns (toy cars, dominos, etc; takes them hours to do, move one piece out of place and they notice).
• Difficulty expressing emotion properly; a lot of trouble comprehending the emotions of others (can't be sad if not crying, can't be happy if not laughing).
• Overly disturbed and even distraught if the order of things is changed (position/location/routine).