The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a slowdown in the detection of autism spectrum disorders in young children, experts say. This is despite the fact that by 2020 there had already been an increase in the prevalence of autism, especially among boys. We explain what signs parents should pay attention to in order to make a diagnosis as soon as possible and increase the chances of recovery.

If in 2018 estimates showed that one 8-year-old child out of 44 in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder, then in 2020 this figure has increased to one child out of 36, reports the New York Times, citing data from a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. of Disease Prevention, the US agency responsible for disease control.

According to the same source, the trend continues to be upward. Prevalence increased by 4 percent among boys and 1 percent among girls. This increase does not necessarily mean that autism has become more common, but that we are dealing with an earlier diagnosis.

“I have a feeling it’s being discovered more and more,” said psychiatrist Kathryn Lord, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the aforementioned study. The question is, the specialist continued, what will happen next with these children if they receive the necessary services.

Another study shows that the new coronavirus pandemic has halted, or at least slowed, the detection of autism in young children below pre-pandemic levels. Parents were no longer able to bring their children in for evaluations, and school closings and the shift to distance learning also made it difficult for teachers to identify children who might benefit from evaluations or services.

These failures can have long-term consequences, said Dr. Karen Ramley, director of the CDC’s National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disorders. Both studies are based on data from the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network.

What is autism?

Lack of speech, eye contact, excessive sensitivity to sounds, obsessive attention to certain things and attachment to certain objects, tendency to repetitive gestures, strange play with objects, social difficulties, developmental delay, in general, depending on age, there can be just as many signs of autism spectrum disorders.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2020, autism was diagnosed in 1% of children worldwide. In Romania, the prevalence of autistic disorders among primary school children reaches 14.3%, according to data published in 2023 by the National Institute of Public Health. However, there are no official statistics of people with autism in Romania, and autism spectrum disorders continue to be underdiagnosed.

ASD – Autism Spectrum Disorders – are developmental disorders that are usually diagnosed in the first two years of life. Depending on the severity of symptoms, diagnosis may be delayed until school age.

Autism is a neurological disorder related to the development of the brain, the causes of which are unknown. Among the first signs of autism that parents can observe are the lack of speech, difficulties in communication, maintaining visual contact with others, as well as emotional states such as sadness, surprise. It is quite possible that a child with autism will not respond to his name until 9 months and will not be interested in interactive games until 1 year. A preference for isolation and repetitive gestures are other signs that your child has ASD.

Other alarming signs are lack of facial expression, lack of laughter, shouting, indifference to learning a new environment, inability to sit still, lack of gestures or their limited use.

Signs of autism in children older than 1 year

The Early Signs of Autism Study (known as the Avon Study) shows that among children later diagnosed with ASD, differences in social development, communication and fine motor skills were evident as early as 6 months of age.

Signs include:

– Absence of facial expression or smile

– Lack of attention to new faces

– I don’t recognize their names when they are called

– Absence of laughter, shouting or affection

– Lack of intention or ability to attract attention

– Lack of interest in typical children’s games such as “cuckoo-cuckoo”

– No or limited use of gestures such as waving, nodding or pointing

-Indifference to a new environment or minimal visual exploration

– Lack of interest or exploration of toys or objects

– Delay in the ability to sit, stand or walk

– Lack of interest in young children, except for siblings

-Lack of interest in other people’s activities

– Unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look or feel.

Experts urge parents to contact a child psychiatrist if a child older than 1 year has the following symptoms:

-He does not smile, he is not happy until six months or later;

– Does not babble, does not smile until nine months;

-Does not make active and reactive gestures, such as pointing/pointing, does not say “goodbye” until 12-14 months;

– Does not respond (does not return) to a call, seems deaf;

– Does not lalalize (does not pronounce the syllables ma-ma-ma, ta-ta-ta, la-la-la, etc.) up to 12 months;

– Do not speak a word until 16-18 months;

– Does not build sentences/expressions from two words before 24 months;

– Do not imitate either with gestures or verbally;

– does not play properly with toys, uses them exclusively to impose them or plays with them in parts;

– Lose acquired knowledge (words, social skills that have already been acquired) at any age.

Early diagnosis and initiation of therapy are important for symptom relief and a better quality of life.