How do you tell if a child has autism?

Kelly Andrus plays with her son Bradley, in his classroom at Children’s Choice Learning Centers. Bradley, who turns three in a couple of weeks, was diagnosed a year ago with mild autism. (AP Photo)

A recent federal report
found autism disorders are far
more common than was previously understood, affecting 1 in
88 U.S. children. But what should a parent look for to
determine whether their child might have autism?

Dr. Charles Cowan, Medical Director of Seattle Children’s
Hospital Autism Center, said the disorder isn’t something
that can be observed through a microscope, like cancer.

“Autism is a developmental disorder. That means it is
related to functions in how the brain works, but also a
disorder that, like other medical conditions, can’t be
defined biologically,” said Cowan, in an appearance on 97.3 KIRO FM’s Bill Radke Treatment.

Cowan explained autism is defined by behavioral
differences, and that the difficulty in defining autism
comes from the variability in cases.

“Which is why we are now talking about a spectrum disorder
rather than a set of specific characteristics that
characterize an individual person,” said Cowan.

Bill Radke told Cowan he’s observed differences in the way
his twin son and daughter communicate, and has wondered if
his son might be affected.

“What should I be looking for?” said Radke.

Cowan said he would first be interested in the child’s
medical history.

“It does turn out that certain kinds of medical conditions
like premature birth, like difficult delivery, can add to
the risk factors of subsequently developing autism.”

Next, he said he would ask if the child had any trouble
learning the usual skills that babies learn, such as
learning to sit up, crawl, and walk. He would also be
interested in how the child communicates, even non-
verbally.

“Pointing is a very interesting phenomenon in young
children. You can point to ask for something, or you can
point to show somebody something,” said Cowan. “It turns
out that many autistic children will be able to point to
ask for something, go get me that, and not to point to
show you the airplane in the sky.”

Cowan said the reason a child with autism would not point
to the airplane is because pointing to show something is a
more social form of communication. “It’s a non-verbal but
social communication.”

He said the same type of distinction can be seen in a
child’s raising its arms to be lifted versus raising an
arm to wave.

“Lifting your arms up is a request for somebody to do
something for you, but waving hi and bye is a social
gesture. So autistic children often will not do waving,
but they will do lifting their arms up,” said Cowan, “same
motor function, same ability to move your body, but
different communicative kind of functioning.”

Cowan said delay of word development is also a common sign
of autism. Development of speech seems to come almost
effortlessly to many kids. They don’t have to be taught.
But he said that is not necessarily the case for a child
with autism.

“Some people for reasons that we don’t quite understand
have trouble doing that effortlessly,” said Cowan.

But even for people diagnosed with autism, Cowan said
there is a wide range of potential to learn.

“For many, many, many children and adults, it is possible
to teach those things,” said Cowan. “But they don’t come
the effortless way that other children and adults learn
how to socialize.”

Evidence shows that children who are identified early and
get help have the best chance for reaching their
potential.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism
screening for all children at age 18 months and 2 years.

The Bill Radke Treatment can be heard on
the new 97.3 KIRO FM Weekend on Saturday at 6 a.m. and 12
p.m, on Sunday at 2 p.m. and anytime ON
DEMAND at MyNorthwest.com.

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor
The
Associated Press contributed to this report.