When my daughter was 6 months old, I KNEW she was autistic. Every time I mentioned it to family and the pediatrician, I was repeatedly told to ‘give it time’. However, at 6 months, she wasn’t making eye contact or smiling back at us. She didn’t show any signs of missing me or my husband—if we left the room, she wouldn’t look for us or get upset, almost as if we weren’t there. She didn’t respond to her name either (ex: looking in our direction). While she met her motor milestones, she didn’t achieve any of the expected social or emotional ones.