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Q: Should I worry about autism if my toddler doesn't play with other kids?

A: Most children don’t engage in truly social play with other kids until about age 3. So a toddler’s penchant for playing alone isn’t necessarily a red flag for autism. A better gauge is how he responds to adults. “Even children as young as 12 months should be able to use gestures and make eye contact to communicate both what they need and what is interesting to them,” says Jacqueline Wynn, Ph.D., director of the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Westerville, Ohio. They should also respond to their names, imitate actions and begin using toys appropriately. By 15 to 18 months, toddlers should start to use single words, and by 18 to 24 months, they should be speaking simple phrases. If your child isn’t doing these things, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s autistic. But it’s worth mentioning to your pediatrician, who can do a general developmental assessment as well as an autism screening. Autistic children who receive early and intensive intervention have been shown to make huge developmental progress. For trustworthy information on the early signs of autism, visit the Web sites of First Signs and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This Live Right Live Well Expert Q&A was written by journalist Daryn Eller.

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