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Reported Signs of Autism	Age First Noticed	Suspected Cause	Score (1-10)	Summary of Anecdotal Evidence
Lack of eye contact, minimal social engagement	12-18 months	Vaccines (MMR)	8	Parents frequently report noticing reduced eye contact and social withdrawal around 12-18 months, often coinciding with MMR vaccine schedules. Many attribute regression to vaccines, citing a sudden shift from "normal" milestones. Common on Reddit and parenting blogs, despite scientific studies debunking this link.
Delayed speech, repetitive behaviors	18-24 months	Environmental toxins (e.g., pesticides, heavy metals)	7	Parents describe children meeting early milestones but showing speech delays and hand-flapping by age 2. Some suspect exposure to pesticides or heavy metals in water/food, especially in rural or industrial areas. Reported on forums like Autism Parenting Magazine and X posts.
Sensory sensitivities, tantrums	2-3 years	Maternal stress or illness during pregnancy	6	Accounts mention children developing sensory issues (e.g., aversion to loud noises) and intense tantrums around age 2-3. Parents often link this to high maternal stress, infections, or fevers during pregnancy, believing these disrupted fetal brain development. Seen in blog comments and social media groups.
Loss of previously acquired skills	15-24 months	Antibiotic use or gut health issues	6	Some parents report children losing words or social skills after antibiotic treatments or gut issues, suspecting microbiome disruption. Frequently discussed in alternative health forums and social media, with parents citing dietary changes as helpful post-diagnosis.
Limited play, intense focus on objects	2-4 years	Advanced parental age	5	Parents note children fixating on specific toys (e.g., spinning wheels) and avoiding interactive play by age 2-4. Some link this to older parental age (especially fathers over 40), believing it increased genetic risk. Less common but present in online support groups.
Difficulty with transitions, repetitive routines	3-5 years	Dietary factors (e.g., gluten, dairy)	4	Parents describe children struggling with routine changes and developing rigid behaviors by preschool age. Some suspect gluten or dairy sensitivities triggered symptoms, reporting improvements with dietary changes. Found in parenting blogs and Facebook groups.
Social withdrawal, echolalia	2-3 years	Birth complications (e.g., oxygen deprivation)	4	Reports highlight children becoming withdrawn and repeating phrases around age 2-3. Parents sometimes attribute this to birth trauma, like hypoxia during delivery, believing it affected brain development. Shared in autism support forums and X discussions.
Delayed motor skills, social challenges	1-2 years	Prenatal exposure to medications (e.g., SSRIs)	3	A smaller number of parents report motor delays and social difficulties emerging early, linking them to maternal use of antidepressants during pregnancy. These accounts are less frequent but appear in Reddit threads and health-focused blogs.
Extreme sensory seeking (e.g., spinning)	2-3 years	Air pollution exposure	3	Some parents note children seeking intense sensory input (e.g., spinning, crashing into objects) by age 2-3, suspecting urban air pollution as a trigger. These reports are less common but found in environmental health discussions on social media.
Lack of response to name, social disinterest	12-24 months	Excessive screen time	2	A few parents report children not responding to their name or showing social disinterest, attributing it to early exposure to screens. This is a minority view but appears in parenting forums and X posts, often debated heavily.

WRONG! Search and select and score anecdotal evidences reported by citizens of the western world on blog sites, social media, etc. to secure first-person accounts on when their child first showed signs of autism and the suspected causal relationship from normality in the child to autism, they are everywhere on the internet.

Reported Signs of AutismReported Signs of Autism Age First Noticed Suspected Cause Score (1-10) Summary of Anecdotal Evidence
Lack of eye contact, minimal social engagement 12-18 months Vaccines (MMR) 8 Parents frequently report noticing reduced eye contact and social withdrawal around 12-18 months, often coinciding with MMR vaccine schedules. Many attribute regression to vaccines, citing a sudden shift from "normal" milestones. Common on Reddit and parenting blogs, despite scientific studies debunking this link.
Delayed speech, repetitive behaviors 18-24 months Environmental toxins (e.g., pesticides, heavy metals) 7 Parents describe children meeting early milestones but showing speech delays and hand-flapping by age 2. Some suspect exposure to pesticides or heavy metals in water/food, especially in rural or industrial areas. Reported on forums like Autism Parenting Magazine and X posts.
Sensory sensitivities, tantrums 2-3 years Maternal stress or illness during pregnancy 6 Accounts mention children developing sensory issues (e.g., aversion to loud noises) and intense tantrums around age 2-3. Parents often link this to high maternal stress, infections, or fevers during pregnancy, believing these disrupted fetal brain development. Seen in blog comments and social media groups.
Loss of previously acquired skills 15-24 months Antibiotic use or gut health issues 6 Some parents report children losing words or social skills after antibiotic treatments or gut issues, suspecting microbiome disruption. Frequently discussed in alternative health forums and social media, with parents citing dietary changes as helpful post-diagnosis.
Limited play, intense focus on objects 2-4 years Advanced parental age 5 Parents note children fixating on specific toys (e.g., spinning wheels) and avoiding interactive play by age 2-4. Some link this to older parental age (especially fathers over 40), believing it increased genetic risk. Less common but present in online support groups.
Difficulty with transitions, repetitive routines 3-5 years Dietary factors (e.g., gluten, dairy) 4 Parents describe children struggling with routine changes and developing rigid behaviors by preschool age. Some suspect gluten or dairy sensitivities triggered symptoms, reporting improvements with dietary changes. Found in parenting blogs and Facebook groups.
Social withdrawal, echolalia 2-3 years Birth complications (e.g., oxygen deprivation) 4 Reports highlight children becoming withdrawn and repeating phrases around age 2-3. Parents sometimes attribute this to birth trauma, like hypoxia during delivery, believing it affected brain development. Shared in autism support forums and X discussions.
Delayed motor skills, social challenges 1-2 years Prenatal exposure to medications (e.g., SSRIs) 3 A smaller number of parents report motor delays and social difficulties emerging early, linking them to maternal use of antidepressants during pregnancy. These accounts are less frequent but appear in Reddit threads and health-focused blogs.
Extreme sensory seeking (e.g., spinning) 2-3 years Air pollution exposure 3 Some parents note children seeking intense sensory input (e.g., spinning, crashing into objects) by age 2-3, suspecting urban air pollution as a trigger. These reports are less common but found in environmental health discussions on social media.
Lack of response to name, social disinterest 12-24 months Excessive screen time 2 A few parents report children not responding to their name or showing social disinterest, attributing it to early exposure to screens. This is a minority view but appears in parenting forums and X posts, often debated heavily.