Age Autism Diagnosed. Early Signs and Symptoms : Dr Nadeem Ghayas

November 7, 2025

Autism may be observed and diagnosed at the age of 18 months or 3 years. Others display symptoms at a tender age although doctors tend to give a definite diagnosis before the age of two. This is due to the fact that through this time, the speech, behavior and social development of a child will be easier to observe.

In most instances, doctors and parents begin to notice the symptoms even before a child is 2 years old, such as not responding to their name, lack of eye contact or showing no desire to play among other people. Nevertheless, each child develops in its own way and thus, doctors would rather observe the behavior of a child over a period of time before declaring it to be autistic.

Autism may not be apparent among children with milder symptoms until the child enters school, where the teacher or parent may notice that the child has a problem with social interactions, communication, or routine adherence.

The recommendation suggests that every child should be checked on autism at the age of 18 months and once more at 24 months during routine checkups with the doctor (Turner, 2015). This assists in the early detection of autism so that special assistance (known as early intervention) may commence thus enhancing the growth of the child.

References:

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), “Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” Pediatrics Journal, 2020.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Detection and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder,” 2024.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Autism Spectrum Disorder, 2023.