The Early Warning Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder among Saudi Children

Background: Identifying Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as early as possible is the most important step to be achieved due to the fact that early intervention can result in significant improvement of ASD symptoms. It is proved that the impairments identified in children with ASD are in skills that normally develop between the first 12 to18 months of life. Aim: To determine the early warning signs for participants with ASD in the north of Riyadh. Method: A retrospective case control study, 57 subjects with ASD typical symptoms were selected by a convenience sampling method at King Khalid University Hospital and compared with a randomly selected, community based control group (N=84) matched for age and gender. Written informed consent was obtained from all parents/caregivers who completed questionnaires and were also interviewed. Results: Our findings suggest that loss of shared enjoyment with family members, absence of early speech symbols, e.g. stringing sounds together, loss of eye to eye contact between the child and others and lack of imaginative play are early warning signs of ASD by the age 12 to 18 months in Saudi subjects with ASD.