Atypical object exploration at 12 months of age is associated with autism in a prospective sample.

The team watched 12-month-old babies play with toys for five minutes. They tracked every spin, rotate, or odd visual stare. Two years later they checked which kids got an autism diagnosis.

No extra tests or teaching happened. The study just looked for early red flags.

Babies who later got an autism label spun or rotated objects far more than peers. Their unusual visual checks were over four standard deviations higher.

In plain words, the difference was huge. These moves were rare in other babies.

Laposa et al. (2017) followed the same pattern and added teens. They showed the sensory quirks stay into high school, so early signs matter long-term.

Fahmie et al. (2013) surveyed 679 youth and found 70 % had odd sensory interests. Their cross-section data echo Sally’s infant signal, but across many ages.

Barton et al. (2019) seem to clash. They say sensory hypersensitivity drives repetitive play in all kids, autism or not. The key gap: they looked at older kids and used parent checklists, not live baby coding. The infant spinning flagged by Sally may be a more extreme, autism-linked form than everyday repetitive play.

You can spot risk before words emerge. If a one-year-old keeps spinning lids or staring at wheels, note it and share with the pediatrician. Early flags buy time for faster evaluation and earlier intervention.