Too much of lip-reading may be a sign of autism

Do you know how your newborn baby learns language skills or how it comprehends another person’s language? Research suggests that when a child is 4-month old, it focuses mainly on the eyes of the speaker for understanding what is spoken and after 2 more months (at the babbling stage), switches its focus to the mouth of the speaker to lip-read and understand the words and their sounds. Once they become acquainted with the native language – commonly after 10 months – their attention again shifts back from the mouth to the eyes. This is the basic process for a child to become familiar with the native language and develop speech. But an over-indulgence with lip-reading can be a sign of developmental delays. If a child continues to focus on the mouth at the age of 12 months and above, there is a fair indication of underdevelopment for its current age.

Lip-reading beyond a certain age may indicate trouble but you cannot be sure without a diagnosis. It is not a very easily detectable sign of autism as most parents barely notice such behaviors. If you notice signs of unusual behavior, you should immediately raise concern with a pediatrician to get a diagnosis done in time.

To help parents and doctors diagnose early signs of autism, ColorsKit offers a unique autism screening tool called EARLYThree which is basically a mobile app currently available on iTunes (link). EARLYThree can detect autism symptoms at the age of 8 months and above, by just letting caregivers answer a few questions related to the child’s behavior.

So, get this extraordinary screening app on your device and be assured of your child’s healthy development. For further guidance, please visit http://www.colorskit.com/where you can have access to many other autism apps not only for screening but also for assessment and intervention.