Autism Group Launches Web Site Aimed at Forewarning Parents

Oct. 15, 2007— -- On Alex Wiseman's first birthday, his picture showed the face of a kid, his parents now say, on which autism was obvious. Though obvious now, they missed it back then.

Missing indications of autism is, unfortunately, a common problem; one that a leading advocacy group for Autism, Autism Speaks, wants to change.

To aid in doing this, it has launched a Web site contrasting typical behavior with autistic behavior in children. The Web site, called Red Flags of Autism, shows specific examples of behaviors in children 2 years and younger that may indicate autism.

Some of these red flags include lack of eye contact, lack of language and lack of interest in two-way communication with those around the child. These were symptoms that Alex Wiseman, an autistic 6-year-old, exhibited as early as a year old.

Though Alex Wiseman has now been diagnosed with autism and is being treated, his parents missed the subtle warnings when he was younger. His mother, Jodi, recalls Alex appearing disconnected at his first birthday party.

"It struck me as odd that he wasn't very involved in his own birthday party because there was cake. He loved cake, he loved presents. Our family was there, and he was always connected to family but for some reason, he just wasn't there that day. It struck me as odd that he was disconnected," she recalled.

Though it struck her as odd, she didn't realize that this disconnection indicated autism.

Autism is often not diagnosed until the age of 4 or 5, because the symptoms can be quite subtle and resemble behaviors of nonautistic children. Oftentimes, behaviors of autistic children are simply labeled "fussy" or "quirky."

This is why Dr. Amy Wetherby, co-director of the First Word Project, a research project that tests young children for autism, began collecting the video that would become part of the Red Flags of Autism Web site.