INDIANAPOLIS — Monica McKinney loves watching her 8-year-old grandson make progress at Hopebridge Autism Therapy Center, where he has been receiving treatment for about a year since his autism diagnosis.
"I love my grandson. I can tell that he needed the help," McKinney said.
Before starting therapy, McKinney noticed her grandson was struggling in several areas that are common early signs of autism.
"I could tell that language-wise, he wasn't on his age level behavior wise in school and playing with peers his age, he was off track. He would get agitated real fast," McKinney said.
Samon Siddique, assistant clinical director at Hopebridge, says recognizing these early warning signs is crucial for children's development.
"The earlier the intervention, the higher their functionality in the future," Siddique said.
Siddique outlined several key indicators that parents and caregivers should watch for, including anxiety around school activities.
"They're throwing tantrums, they're not wanting to go," Siddique said.
Sensory overload is another common sign to monitor.
"If you see that your kiddo is aversive to bright lights, like crowded space, not wanting to like socialize," Siddique said.
Regression in previously developed skills can also signal a need for evaluation.
"A kiddo who is speaking like 5-6 word sentences, and now you notice they're not speaking at all," Siddique said.
While these behaviors don't definitively indicate autism, they suggest professional evaluation may be beneficial.
"Just to determine what is stopping them and preventing them from doing the best that they can in that setting," Siddique said.
McKinney has observed significant improvements in her grandson since he began attending Hopebridge, particularly in his social skills and emotional regulation.
"He looks forward to coming here, so I thought that was really good. It made me want to cry. All kids, no matter what, they need that extra push. What that is, we don't know. We as adults need to show them that," McKinney said.
Hopebridge is headquartered in Indianapolis and operates as one of Indiana's largest autism therapy providers, with more than 20 locations throughout the state and centers in nine other states.
