Every parent wishes to bring a healthy baby to the world, but all are not lucky enough. Even worse, some health conditions are challenging to diagnose in little ones. It means you cannot recognize and seek treatment for them at an early stage. Autism is one such condition as it has subtle early signs that are easy to overlook. You may miss symptoms such as a lack of eye contact, attention, expression, gesturing, or imitation in a baby. In most cases, interventions begin only after a child has trouble in developmental areas like communication and social skills. But you can actually focus on early interactions with your baby even before a diagnosis and do your bit to alleviate the autism symptoms as they grow. Here are some ways you can deal with autism as a new parent.
Recognize early signs
It is crucial to recognize the early signs so that you can get help right away. Babies with suspected autism often do not initiate play. You can expect them to be quieter or content by themselves. They will not even try to imitate other people around, as babies tend to do. You must take the lead if you have a seemingly passive child. At this stage, you can start with at-home interventions that can affect your baby’s development. Just changing the way you play with the little one can make a difference if you start early.
Work on the basics
If you think that you are dealing with an autistic baby, start by working on the basics. Often, little ones within the autistic spectrum have feeding issues at different levels. The child may refuse to breastfeed and later transition to bottle feeding. You need to make sure they do not suffer from nutrient deprivation because physical health is crucial. Explore the best Baby Bottles and pick the one that can ease the transition from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding. Once you sort out the feeding issues, you can go ahead with other interventions to help your little one.
Ramp up everyday interactions
Luckily, you can start with early interventions at home when your child is only a few months old. You may not even wait for an official diagnosis because these interventions will not harm the child even if your doubts are unfounded. Imitate the little one as they coo, shake a rattle, or hold a toy. Show excitement during playtime, and it will help the baby to process emotions and develop attention skills. Sing to the baby and have conversations even if they do not respond. Engage with the little one as much as you can, and it will help you push their early development.
Dealing with an autistic baby need not be a nightmare. You only need to watch closely for the early warning signs and discuss them with your pediatrician. They will not recommend therapy right away, but you can begin with simple behavioral interventions at home. These small steps can help the brain development of the child and drive better outcomes over the years.
