If you’re noticing differences in eye contact, gestures, shared attention, or the social use of language, this page can help you take the next step. Get a focused social communication screening experience designed for toddlers and preschoolers, with personalized guidance based on what you’re seeing at home.
Answer a few questions about how your child connects, responds, and communicates socially. We’ll use your responses to provide guidance tailored to concerns related to autism, social communication delay, and early developmental milestones.
Parents often search for social communication screening when a child seems to communicate differently in everyday interactions. Concerns may include limited eye contact, not consistently responding to name, fewer gestures, difficulty with back-and-forth interaction, or speech that is present but not used socially in expected ways. A screening is not a diagnosis, but it can help you organize what you’re observing and decide whether a fuller social communication assessment for autism or related developmental concerns may be worth discussing with your child’s provider.
Look at how your child notices people, shares interest, points things out, and joins simple social exchanges with caregivers.
Consider whether your child responds to name, follows simple social cues, and seems tuned in when others speak or interact.
Notice how your child uses gestures, facial expressions, sounds, words, or phrases to connect with others, not just to get needs met.
Parents of toddlers may wonder whether limited pointing, reduced imitation, or inconsistent response to name fits typical development or suggests a social communication delay.
For preschoolers, concerns often involve peer engagement, pretend play, conversational turn-taking, or language that sounds unusual in social situations.
Many families use autism social communication screening to better understand whether the patterns they see overlap with early signs commonly associated with autism.
A social communication screening questionnaire can help clarify whether your concerns are isolated, broad, mild, or worth discussing promptly with a pediatrician, speech-language pathologist, or developmental specialist. If results suggest follow-up, the next step may be a more complete screening for social communication disorder, autism-focused evaluation, or support around communication milestones. Early attention can make it easier to access the right guidance and services if they are needed.
Milestones are not only about words. They also include eye gaze, gestures, shared enjoyment, imitation, and back-and-forth interaction.
Early social communication screening may highlight concerns before they become more obvious in group settings or preschool routines.
When you can describe specific social communication skills and delays, it becomes easier to talk with professionals about what you’re seeing.
It is a structured way to look at behaviors related to social connection and communication, such as eye contact, shared attention, gestures, response to name, and the social use of language. It can help identify whether a child may need further evaluation for autism or another social communication concern.
Yes. Social communication screening for toddlers and social communication screening for preschoolers are both common because early differences often show up in everyday interactions, play, and communication routines. The signs may look different by age, but screening can still be useful.
A screening is a first step that helps flag whether concerns may need closer attention. A full assessment is more detailed and is completed by a qualified professional who looks at development across multiple areas before making recommendations or diagnoses.
Yes. Some children use words or phrases but still have difficulty with the social side of communication, such as turn-taking, facial expressions, conversational reciprocity, or understanding how language works in social settings.
After screening, families may choose to monitor progress, discuss concerns with a pediatrician, or seek a more complete social communication assessment for autism, speech-language evaluation, or developmental evaluation depending on the pattern of concerns.
If you’re wondering whether what you’re seeing fits typical development, a social communication delay, or possible autism-related differences, answer a few questions to receive focused next-step guidance built around your child’s age and current concerns.
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Developmental Screening
Developmental Screening
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Developmental Screening