Which signs differentiate autism in toddlers from school-age children?

• A. Toddlers: lack of joint attention, showing, and pretend play; school-age: peer interaction difficulties, restricted interests, repetitive behaviors.
• B. Toddlers show advanced joint attention; school-age have no symptoms.
• C. Toddlers have language delay; school-age have social reciprocity difficulties.
• D. Toddlers show peer interaction difficulties; school-age display pretend play.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that autism presents with different social-communication signs at different ages. In toddlers, early indicators center on social-communication milestones like joint attention (sharing attention with another person on an object), showing objects to others, and engaging in pretend play. These reflect how a child interacts with others and interprets social cues during play and everyday sharing. By school age, the pattern shifts toward difficulties with peer interactions and the emergence or prominence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, which become more noticeable in peer groups and structured settings.

This makes the option that lists toddlers showing lack of joint attention, showing, and pretend play, while school-age children exhibit peer interaction difficulties along with restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, the best fit. The other options present unlikely or inconsistent patterns—such as advanced joint attention in toddlers, no symptoms by school age, or a mix that doesn’t align with how autism signs typically evolve—so they don’t match the usual developmental trajectory.