Autism spectrum disorder manifests itself during the first three years of life. Early detection is key to initiating specialized intervention as soon as possible, which will promote the child's development and improve their quality of life.

Some early warning signs are:

• Before 12 months : poor eye contact and lack of interest in simple interactive games.
• At 12 months: absence of babbling and gestures to communicate, such as pointing or waving goodbye.
• Between 12 and 18 months: does not respond to name, does not point to ask for something and responds in an unusual way to certain auditory stimuli.
• At 18 months: does not say simple words.
• Between 18 and 24 months: delayed language development, repetitive play (lining up objects, opening and closing doors…), little imitation of gestures and actions, lack of functional or symbolic play, little interest in relating to peers.
• At 24 months: does not spontaneously say phrases of two or more words.