Key Points:

• Early signs of autism can show up in children between 12 and 24 months.
• Getting an early assessment can make a real difference for your child, helping them get support sooner rather than later.
• Gracious Growth ABA offers assessments and in-home ABA therapy for young children and their families across New Mexico, Colorado, North Carolina, Iowa, and Utah.

Maybe your toddler doesn’t always turn around when you call their name. Maybe a word they used to say has dropped out of their vocabulary. Or maybe small changes to the daily routine seem to send them into a meltdown that feels bigger than the situation calls for.

If any of that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Parents we’ve worked with are usually the ones who pick up on the early signs of autism long before a clinician confirms anything, sometimes months before.

What Autism Symptoms in Young Children Can Look Like

Autism shows up differently in every child. Some toddlers start talking on time but struggle to hold a back-and-forth conversation. Others are warm and snuggly at home but pull away around unfamiliar kids. Some children seem to hit every milestone on paper, yet parents still feel that something is off.

Between 12 and 24 months, the symptoms parents often notice include:

• Not responding when their name is called, or only responding sometimes
• Avoiding eye contact, even during play
• Not pointing to share something they find interesting
• Preferring to play by themselves most of the time
• Showing little interest in what other kids are doing

Speech is often what raises the first red flag for parents when they notice:

• No babbling by 12 months
• No single words by 16 months
• Losing words or phrases they had already picked up

Repetitive behaviors can also be significant. You might see your child lining up toys in a very particular way, flapping their hands, or getting very upset when something familiar shifts even slightly.

Sensory differences can look like being thrown off by loud sounds, certain textures, or bright lights. Some toddlers might want the opposite and feel comfortable with intense sensory input.

When to Get an Autism Assessment

If something feels off, our advice is to book an assessment sooner rather than later. An early evaluation can give you answers, take the guesswork out of it, and help your child get support during the years that count most.

Gracious Growth ABA welcomes children from 18 to 24 months into our early ABA program.

Our assessment process is built to feel like play, not a test. It usually involves a caregiver interview, observation during natural play, skill checks, and, if needed, a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) to observe specific challenging behaviors.

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) leads the assessment. They look at communication, social skills, daily living habits, and learning readiness, while taking time to hear what matters to your family.

Getting your child assessed isn’t about handing them a label. For most families, it’s a way to finally get a clear answer and a direction forward after months of uncertainty.

What Happens After the Diagnosis? How Gracious Growth Supports Your Family

Once your child has been assessed and a diagnosis is confirmed, ABA therapy can begin. Here is what families in New Mexico, Colorado, North Carolina, Iowa, and Utah can expect from us.

Pediatric autism support at Gracious Growth ABA starts as soon as your child has a diagnosis. From there, our team verifies your insurance benefits before any scheduled sessions.

After that, one of our BCBAs visits your home for the first session. This is where you walk us through your child’s history, what they do well, and where they get stuck. It’s a professional conversation and observation, and it shapes your child’s treatment plan.

The treatment plan is built specifically around your child. Sessions usually run between three and five hours and include built-in breaks. Day-to-day sessions are led by Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs), with the BCBA supervising.

Parents are part of the work from the very beginning. Sitting in on sessions and using the same strategies between visits is what stretches progress into everyday life. That consistency is where the real change happens.

Why Early Intervention Autism Therapy Matters

The first few years of life are a critical window for brain development. Young children’s brains are more flexible during this period than they will ever be again. Early intervention is built around that window.

Our experience with children who start ABA therapy at a younger age often develop communication and everyday life skills more quickly, benefiting from early support during critical stages of development.

Our early ABA therapy at Gracious Growth supports children with:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• ADHD
• Developmental delays
• Behavioral and learning challenges that come along with those

What Early ABA Therapy for Toddlers Involves

ABA therapy for toddlers doesn’t look like a classroom. Sessions are play-based and folded into your normal routine. Therapists meet your child where they are, in the environment they feel safest in.

In-home ABA for toddlers is at the heart of how we work. Skills get practiced in the place where your child needs to use them. That makes a big difference in how well those skills carry over, something clinic-based therapy often struggles to match.

Every program is shaped around the individual child. 

Here’s what toddler behavior therapy can look like in a session:

Communication building: A child who grabs at things or cries when they want something learns to ask for it using a word, sign, or picture card. Getting what they asked for right away reinforces that communicating works.

Social skills development: During play, a therapist might weave in turn-taking, following a small direction, or naming an emotion. It feels like play, not a lesson.

Daily living skills: Things like washing hands, getting dressed, and eating meals are broken into smaller steps. Each step is practiced before being performed together as a routine.

Behavior support: When a child throws something out of frustration, we look at what they’re trying to say and teach a better way to say it, like using a break card, a sign, or a short phrase.

Progress builds slowly. Small wins accumulate into meaningful changes over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How early can a toddler start ABA therapy?

Gracious Growth ABA accepts children from 18 to 24 months old. Starting during the toddler years gives kids the strongest base for communication and social development.

2. Does my child need a formal diagnosis to begin?

You don’t need a formal diagnosis before the assessment process can start. A BCBA can evaluate your child and tell you what makes sense next.

3. Is in-home ABA better than clinic-based therapy?

For toddlers, home-based therapy tends to work better. Skills are learned in the same place they will be used, which makes them stick. Parents are also more directly involved, which matters a lot at this age.

4. Does Gracious Growth work with children who have ADHD or developmental delays? 

Yes. We support children with autism, ADHD, developmental delays, and the behavioral or learning challenges that often come with them. Every program is individualized for each child’s specific needs.

5. What if I’m not sure what I’m seeing is significant?

Reach out to us. An initial consultation with us might give you the clarity you’ve been hoping for.

Contact Gracious Growth ABA at [email protected] or call us wherever you are:

New Mexico: +1-505-605-7425

Utah: +1 (801) 841-2824

Colorado: +1 (720) 953-3838

North Carolina: +1 (704) 520-5191

Iowa: +1 (515) 506-1516

Our team is here to answer your questions, discuss your concerns, and help you take the next step toward support for your child.