By Charlotte Smith & Joseph Wilkes Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is caused by differences in the brain and can lead to issues with social communication and interaction, as well as restricted or repetitive behaviours or interests. Symptoms of ASD can start showing in children as early as 12 to 18 months, sometimes even earlier. Common early signs include problems with eye contact, lack of response to their name, difficulty following another person’s gaze or pointed finger to an object, poor skills in pretend play and imitation, and problems with nonverbal communication. Although children with …