Autism traits in typical toddler behaviour

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I've been wondering about this for ages. Unless an autistic toddler is noticeably different in their development, a lot of autistic toddlers go unnoticed if they behave a lot like their peers.

I used to work at a preschool with 2-4-year-olds which was part of a college course I was doing on childcare, and the whole point in me being there was to observe the behaviours of normal 2-4-year-olds. OK whatever, one or two of the kids might have had an ASD or some other neurological disorder, but it obviously wasn't known at the time.

All of the 27 children there typically displayed behaviours that are often listed in the autism criteria. They loved repetitiveness, often misunderstood social cues of each other what an older child probably wouldn't miss, most of them were afraid of some noises, and they often liked to flap their hands or spin around in circles during play.
They even had a room that said "sensory room" written on the door, which had brightly-painted walls, relaxing music, and a ball pit and rocking horses (not particularly horses but you know what I mean). They all loved it, but only 4 children were allowed in there at a time (supervised of course) so that it could be kept calm and quiet.

I've always been fascinated with child development, and through observing small child behaviour I have found that they all generally exhibit Aspie traits in their baby and toddler years (birth to about 5 years) even though they obviously do not have an ASD.
When my cousin (who is definitely 100% NT) was 2 he got a big obsession with buses. When his parents took him out, all he was interested in was buses, more so than the playground. Whenever he saw a bus he would keep shouting "bus! Bus! Bus!!" and flap his hands about excitedly. He did grow out of his fascination and became interested in his peers, but for a time his whole mind was so preoccupied with buses that his parents started to grow concerned. But I suppose toddlers can go through a phase.

So has anyone else noticed how normal toddler/child behaviours can be similar to some autistic behaviours?

I absolutely agree that toddlers tend to exhibit “autistic” behaviors.

Many people have come to this site worried about their toddlers because they seem to exhibit “autistic” behaviors. I usually tell them that toddlers normally exhibit autistic behaviors.

It's where the usual idea that 'everyone was autistic' came from somewhat.


Experiences and observations tells me the parents usual concern around to younger age range is usually signs of speech delay -- it matters a little if it's ASD, ADD or GDD.

Spacing out or irresponsiveness seem to be also a cause for alarm.
I do not mean inactivity and lack of interaction, but simply a form of resistance or persistence from the view of onlookers.

If I have my own (unprofessional) ways of observation, I first had to know what typical looks and feels like in real life and theory.
As far as I know, one of the starting points involves studying developmental milestones.


To actually tell an NT or ND toddlers apart requires a critical eye or a trained one.

And it just so happens that one of my social mentors (a SPED professional) can see autism in young age range in closer observation before it gets formally confirmed.
Seen her discuss these things to me and her colleagues from time to time -- quite takes me back.

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