Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental difference that affects social communication and patterns of behaviour. In most children the signs become visible within the first two years — but it is never one behaviour on its own that carries meaning, it is a pattern that persists. This article covers what to look for, and what to do once you have noticed it.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental difference affecting social communication and interaction, alongside patterns of interest and behaviour. It emerges in the first years of life. It is not an illness acquired later on, and it is not caused by parenting, by lack of attention or by screen time.
Two children with the same diagnosis can look nothing alike. One may not speak at all; another may speak with a vocabulary well beyond their years while struggling to take turns, read a joke or make friends. That is exactly what "spectrum" describes: a shared core, and very different presentations.
Looking for signs is not the same as diagnosing
What follows is neither a checklist nor a test. No single behaviour — brief eye contact, lining objects up, speaking late — counts as a sign of autism on its own. What carries meaning is the pattern itself, how long it persists, and how much of the child's daily life it affects.
Developmental milestones shift from child to child. Even so, the picture that draws attention by age tends to look like this:
Not turning to look when their name is called, eye contact that is brief and infrequent, not returning a smile, not following a point, little babbling or vocalising, and gestures such as waving not appearing.
Not pointing at what they want, not looking back at a parent to share something interesting, not joining simple imitation games, first words arriving late, not adjusting their body when picked up.
No two-word phrases at all, no pretend play (not feeding the doll, not pretending to talk on the phone), little interest in other children, and their name repeatedly drawing no response.
Difficulty keeping a back-and-forth conversation going, repeating phrases by rote (echolalia), strong reactions when a routine changes, narrow and very intense interests, lining toys up rather than playing with them.
A clinical assessment does not count signs one by one; it groups them into three areas. That grouping makes the pattern easier to see:
Social communication
Language and communication
Behaviour and the senses
Ask for an assessment without waiting: loss of skills
If a child is losing a skill they had already gained — speaking and then stopping, no longer waving, no longer meeting your eyes — this is not a "let's give it a little longer" situation. At any age, when you notice a regression, go straight to your paediatrician.
It could, and often is. Hearing loss, developmental language disorder, developmental delay, anxiety or simply a reserved temperament can all produce a similar picture. Difficulties with attention and impulse control are also easy to confuse; for that distinction, see our article on ADHD symptoms.
There is one more explanation heard often in North Cyprus: "We speak two languages at home, that's why he's late talking." Growing up bilingual does not delay speech. That belief can hold up recognition of a genuine delay for months.
The order matters. These five steps shorten the time spent wondering:
Write your observations down with a date and an example — what happened, and in what situation. Short videos also help at assessment.
Arrange a hearing assessment. With delayed speech it is always the first step, and results come back quickly.
Talk to your paediatrician. Parent screening tools such as the M-CHAT-R are used at the 18 and 24-month checks; a screen is not a diagnosis, it is a route to referral.
Follow the referral through. Assessment is a process in which a child psychiatrist, a psychologist and a speech and language therapist work together.
Start support while you wait. Work on language, play and parent sessions does not need a confirmed diagnosis to begin.
None of these steps decides the outcome in advance. The aim is to see early what the child needs.
An assessment can take a long time. What you do at home in the meantime makes your child's day easier now:
Start from your child's interest
Communication is built where the child is already looking. Rather than pulling their attention into your game, join theirs — shared attention grows out of that.
Fewer words, clearer instructions
Use short, concrete instructions instead of long sentences. A single-step request such as "put your shoes on" is far easier to follow than a multi-step one.
Use routine and visual support
A simple chart showing the order of the day in pictures can noticeably reduce reactions at transitions. Flagging changes in advance does the same job.
Map the sensory needs
Note which sound, texture or setting is the hard one. Once the difficult input is known, the supermarket, the classroom and visits can be planned around it.
Count siblings — and yourself — in
The weight of the process spreads across the whole family. Parent sessions also make room for how to talk to a sibling and how to close the gap between two parents' approaches; our article on parent counselling goes into this.
Build a shared language with the school
Share what works at home with the teacher. Using the same instructions in both settings is one of the most practical things you can do for your child.
Where to start in Famagusta
A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is made by a multidisciplinary team and includes a child psychiatrist. What we do at the centre is the work around that process — sessions with the child and with parents through child psychology, neuropsychological assessment for developmental questions, and family therapy for the weight the process puts on the family. If you are not sure where to begin, we can look at it together in a first conversation.
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Most signs become visible between 12 and 24 months, and in some children earlier than that. Where the signs are subtle or language develops on time, recognition can be delayed until the school years or even adolescence. Noticing early matters less for the sake of a label than for starting support sooner.
A single behaviour is not a diagnosis. Reduced eye contact also appears in shyness, in hearing difficulties and in a tired child. What makes it worth an appointment is the pattern: not responding to their name, not pointing, not sharing their interest and delayed speech all continuing together.
No. Delayed speech also follows hearing loss, developmental language disorder and general developmental delay. The distinguishing question is this: while the words are missing, is the child still trying to communicate through gesture, expression and pointing? Where that effort is there, the picture is different. The first step in every case is a hearing assessment.
No. Growing up with two or three languages does not delay speech and does not cause autism. In North Cyprus this belief is common, and it can push a genuine delay months down the road because the family is waiting for the "language confusion" to clear.
A diagnosis does not rest on one test or one professional. It comes out of a multidisciplinary assessment involving a child psychiatrist, a psychologist and a speech and language therapist, drawing together developmental history, direct observation and interviews with the parents.
We work around that process rather than in place of it. Our child psychology service covers sessions with the child and with parents, and developmental questions can be looked at through neuropsychological assessment. A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is a multidisciplinary decision that includes a child psychiatrist. We can look at which step fits your child in a first conversation.
You can write even if you are not sure. We will look at where to start, together.
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