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Young infants are so limited in their range of behavior, autistic disorders are generally discovered gradually, and rarely diagnosed before the age of two or three. Parents may not realize that their baby's behavior is different from that of other infants At the time that speech and language usually develop, parents are more likely to observe that their autistic child is not at the same level as other children his age. Once the child is old enough to play with other children, it becomes more apparent that the autistic child either isn't interested in doing so, or the social interaction is strange, and different from other kids there age. Motor development may also appear unusual, with repetitive motions such as spinning, self-injurious behaviors such as headbanging, and rocking back and forth, giving the parents strong clues that their child behaves differently from others. Then if abnormal behavior continues, a referral from the pediatrician to a child psychiatrist or to an early intervention program with a multidisciplinary staff including psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. These professionals would be the ones to diagnose autistic disorder, and, ideally, offer an early intervention program simultaneously. In order to reach the diagnosis, the professional(s) would observe the child both with and without parents present, interview the parents about the pregnancy, birth, siblings, family history, and early behaviors, and an assessment **All text cited from (http://www.minddisorders.com/A-Br/Autism.html)