Speaking Up for the Quiet Signs
Speaking Up for the Quiet Signs When we think about autism, many of us imagine certain clear signs: a child who avoids eye contact, doesn’t respond to their name, or doesn’t smile. These have long been seen as classic “red flags” that prompt evaluations and early diagnosis. But what if your child does have some of these behaviors? What if they smile, respond to their name, and even make eye contact — yet still struggle deeply in ways that aren’t immediately obvious? The Signs That Didn’t Fit the Script My son Colton could do many of the things people typically think rule out autism. As a baby and toddler, he smiled. He looked at people. He would often turn when his name was called. He even passed his 18-month autism screening with no concerns flagged. But everything shifted around age three, when he experienced a speech regression and lost all of his “real” words. When I brought up autism as a possible explanation, I was told, “Well, regression can be a sign of autism,...