Many parents start to worry about the development of their child almost from the very day they're born. And if it's their first child, parents tend to be even more anxious because they may not fully know what to expect, or their expectations may be too high.

Everyone wants to believe their child is a genious, but when the child doesn't develop at the rate you'd expect them to, it's not usually anything to worry about. All kids start doing certain things in their own time. There are generalities of course, but nothing is set in stone.

With that said, there are some early signs of autism that can help parents know what to watch out for if it seems their child is developing much more slowly than they feel is appropriate. Parents should be aware however, that because of the differences in development rates among children, most doctors are very hestitant to diagnose autism before a child is three to four years old. Doctors worry that if they diagnose a child too soon, the parents may begin to shelter that child more than they would have normally, and end up stunting the growth and development even further.

Most children start responding to someone calling out their name by the time they're just a few months old. They often respond well to familiar voices too, by turning their head in the direction of the sound, making faces and noises, or simply smiling. One early sign of autism is when a child does not respond to familiar voices, or someone calling them by name.

In most cases, by the time a young child is around twelve months old, they'll also actively respond to what's going on around them. If the mother points at something in the sky such as an airplane for instance, many one year old babies will mimic their mother and point at it too. Or they may get a lively expression on their face that shows they've noticed what Mom pointed to, and they're looking at it too.

An early sign of autism is a lack of response to things going on around the child. Instead of looking where Mom points, or even looking at Mom, the child seems to just not notice someone is trying to engage them in some activity.

Another early sign of autism is when young children don't try to copy or repeat what others are doing. When a parent, sibling or caretaker waves at a baby for instance, a baby who is developing normally will attempt to wave back if they're more than a few months old. Playing peek-a-boo often results in the baby trying to hide their eyes and play the game too. Autistic children however, often don't try to repeat or mimic what others are doing around them.

Children who are developing at normal rates will often display many emotions too. If one baby is near and starts crying, it's normal for other babies or toddlers to start crying too. If someone seems sad or hurts themselves, a toddler may pat them on the back or shoulder to try and comfort them. One of the early signs of autism though, is this lack of apparent emotional response to other people and events happening around the child.