Diagnosing Autism at One-Year-Old – Yes, It’s Possible!

Diagnosing autism at one-year-old may sound like spotting a unicorn: rumored, but ultimately unbelievable. I’m here to tell you it’s real and it’s possible. My daughter Lina is living proof. (Or I guess you could say, my daughter is a unicorn…and she is pretty magical TBH).

But I’m aware that many people don’t believe you can diagnose autism that young. In fact, even though Lina was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when she was 15 months old, I didn’t share her diagnosis with many people. Not because of embarrassment or shame, but because I knew what the reaction would be: You can’t diagnose autism at one-year-old! That’s too young! She’ll catch up! Kids develop at their own pace! She’s fine! …And other platitudes that are about as helpful as being handed an expired can of garbanzo beans when you’ve asked for assistance making chocolate chip cookies. The fact is there can be signs of autism in toddlers age 1 and up. And even though most research has focused on diagnosing young boys, there are likewise early signs of autism in girls, and a diagnosis is possible regardless of age or gender.

Unfortunately, misinformation about autism is rampant, including when it can be diagnosed.

The average age of autism diagnosis is 4 years and 4 months, according to the most recent information from the CDC. Some don’t get diagnosed until much later….if at all. Yet 85% of the kids diagnosed with autism (in this specific report) had concerns documented in their record by 3 years old. And as a parent, I can tell you this means some adult in that child’s life observed signs of autism well before 3 years old, before it finally made it into the record.

There are lots of potential causes for a delay in an autism evaluation and autism diagnosis. But did you know that there is NO AGE REQUIREMENT for an autism diagnosis? As a mom to a girl who showed signs of autism at one-year-old, I remember Googling late at night, “How early can you diagnose autism,” “Signs of autism in toddlers,” “Early signs of autism,” etc. I was confused about the information I found, which varied from source to source. What I REALLY wanted to find was someone to tell me, “My child was diagnosed with autism at one-year-old, and the diagnosis was valid, and you are right to get an evaluation for your daughter now. There is no reason to wait.”

So I’m writing that down for any other person scrolling the internet when they should be peacefully asleep. My daughter was diagnosed with autism at one-year-old. Her diagnosis was valid, and has been confirmed in subsequent tests. If you are concerned enough to be reading this post, you–yes, you– are correct to seek an evaluation. (Side note: it doesn’t have to be a scary experience! Seeking an evaluation is not going to make anyone either more or less autistic, and no one will catch on fire — it will just provide more information, which is generally a good thing.)

I’m going to do my best to provide some helpful information in a new four-part series discussing diagnosing autism at one-year-old, from my own experience as a mom. I’ll have posts coming out in the next few weeks on the following big, important (but not scary!) topics:

• Signs of autism in toddlers age 1 and up
• Common reasons why an autism evaluation is delayed
• How early can you detect autism?
• Benefits of an early autism diagnosis

I’m not any sort of medical professional, so I can only speak to my own experience. But when I was in your shoes, Oh Anonymous Internet Searcher, I wanted to hear about others’ experiences, not just what the checklists said. So if you are likewise interested, stay tuned! I’ll update the bullets above when each post goes live. You can also subscribe for blog updates below, or follow along on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.