Is it normal for babies to look at lights

However, Baker suggest parents keep track of how long this behavior continues down the road. Many experts believe that when older children tend to stare at things like ceiling fans, it can be a sign that they are on the autism spectrum.

The article explained that doctors can begin screening a baby for autism at 18 months, but there is so much variability in how each individual baby develops, it is hard to make a reliable diagnosis. If your baby is under 4 months of age, staring at a ceiling fan may just be visually stimulating for them.

If your baby is older than that, or if you see signs that concern you, just keep your pediatrician in the loop. This setting allows you to view available services and providers associated with your preferred location.

You can change this setting at any time. Search MemorialCare. MyChart arrow-right. Contact Us arrow-right. Eye and vision problems in infants can cause developmental delays. It is important to detect any problems early to ensure babies have the opportunity to develop the visual abilities they need to grow and learn. Parents play an important role in helping to assure their child's eyes and vision can develop properly. Even if no eye or vision problems are apparent, at about age 6 months , you should take your baby to a doctor of optometry for his or her first thorough eye examination.

Your doctor of optometry will test for many things, including nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism as well as eye movement ability and eye alignment. Your doctor will also check the overall health of the eyes. Eye health problems are not common, but if present early detection and treatment offer the best option.

Under this program, participating doctors of optometry provide a comprehensive infant eye assessment between 6 and 12 months of age as a no-cost public service. Visit the InfantSEE website to learn more and locate a doctor in your area who can provide a free infant assessment. At birth, babies can't see as well as older children or adults. Their eyes and visual system aren't fully developed. But significant improvement occurs during the first few months of life.

The following are some milestones to watch for in vision and child development. It is important to remember that not every child is the same and some may reach certain milestones at different ages. The presence of eye and vision problems in infants is rare. Most babies begin life with healthy eyes and start to develop the visual abilities they will need throughout life without difficulty.

But occasionally, eye health and vision problems can develop. Parents need to look for the following signs that may be indications of eye and vision problems:. The appearance of any of these signs should require immediate attention by a doctor of optometry. There are many things parents can do to help their baby's vision develop properly.

The following are some examples of age-appropriate activities that can assist an infant's visual development.

Preschoolers depend on their vision to learn tasks that will prepare them for school. A child needs many abilities to succeed in school and good vision is key. Young adults typically have healthy eyes and vision, but it is important to know how to protect your eyes and vision during everyday activities.

Forgot username or password? You do not have access to this content. Join the AOA today! Eye Health for Life. Healthy eyes and good vision play a critical role in how infants and children learn to see.

The researchers assessed children, from 2 months to 2 years of age, 10 times while watching videos of friendly women acting like playful caregivers. At age 3, the children were evaluated for autism. Ultimately, researchers used data from 36 boys, 11 of whom developed autism. They excluded data from girls because only two developed autism. While the number of children studied was small — and the researchers are now studying more children — experts not involved in the study said the results were significant because of the careful and repeated measurements that were not just snapshots, but showed change over time.

They can look at what they want to look at. John N. Constantino, a child psychiatrist and pediatrician at Washington University in St. The researchers found that children who developed autism paid somewhat more attention to mouths and sustained attention to bodies past the age when typical children became less interested. Most cases of autism in children are diagnosed between ages 3 and 5, although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening children at between 18 and 24 months.

But the new study suggests the need to develop therapies that begin even earlier.