Autism Speaks Creates A Web Site that Helps Parents Look for Early Warning Signs

I was watching ABC's Nightline and thought this segment on autism was helpful and interesting.  Call me paranoid but as I experience being a parent for the first time with our daughter Isabella I worry about her getting an illness like autism.  My cousin who is in his 30's has autism.  I remember seeing him as a child going through the challenges of being autistic and not really understanding what the illness was about or how he got it.  Today we are seeing more research and news about this disease which will hopefully lead to finding a cure.

I'm always watching how Isabella responds to my communication and how she responds to various stimuli.  As a parent you hope to never experience a situation where your child suddenly has a blank stare or doesn't respond to you as she used to.

Here is an excerpt from Nightline's segment:
"Missing indications of autism is, unfortunately, a common problem; one that a leading advocacy group for Autism, Autism Speaks, wants to change.To aid in doing this, it has launched a Web site contrasting typical behavior with autistic behavior in children. The Web site, Autism Speaks  shows specific examples of behaviors in children 2 years and younger that may indicate autism. Some of these red flags include lack of eye contact, lack of language and lack of interest in two-way communication with those around the child."

There is some controversy about putting a website like this one out there but I personally believe it's a great site for parents to use as a resource.  Detection early is key and if you can do anything to help decrease the chances of your child becoming autistic you would use this website in a heartbeat.