Autism Spectrum/Aspergers in childhood

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I've read a lot of sources that say that, to be officially diagnosed, Aspergers/autism symptoms have to show before the age of 3. But what kinds of symptoms need to be present? I've looked it up, but most of the sources I've found talk about children on the lower-functioning end of the spectrum. But what would childhood autism/Aspergers have looked like in someone who went undiagnosed until adulthood?

I wasn't diagnosed with Asperger's until I was 13 years old.
I was a little slow in reaching my milestones for walking and talking. I was given the label of "non-specific developmental delays". That label was dropped when I caught up to my peers around 4 years of age. From then on, I was just the goofy, socially awkward, and academically gifted kid. In second grade, I was tested for ADHD, but it was negative. No one knew why I was "different" until 8th grade when I was re-evaluated and diagnosed with Asperger's.

I didn't show any AS symptoms when I was 3 or under. I was like a typical baby and toddler, reaching all the milestones around the average stages, and I caused no concern for my parents (and I had an older brother, so they already had experienced having a normal baby). I also didn't cause any concern for the carers at preschool either. I interacted with the other children (age-appropriately). I may have been a bit shy but a small child is entitled to be shy, whether they're Aspie or not. Not all children are exactly the same, but I didn't give off any noticeable differences. My Aspie traits must have just been mixed in with typical baby/toddler traits. I even was smiling in a lot of photos of me as a baby, as young as 6 months or whatever, and I always liked being played with.

It wasn't until I started school when I caused concern for teachers. I was OK at home still, but at school I did display behaviour that was noticeably different to typical behaviour of a 4 or 5-year-old. But because I was only mild, they didn't quite know what was wrong. I was assessed a lot of times, until I finally received an official diagnosis at age 8 and a half.

It's more normal for Aspergers to be undetectable prior to school age, but it is still always there from birth. Once parents know all of the characteristics they might remember a few quirks you had (or not...).

I have classic autism, my parents KNEW there was something different, and I still didn't get diagnosed until mid-20s. I don't think one can say what it would look like because I think it is different for everyone.

The types of symptoms that tend to be present are things like not reacting normally when someone points at something or looks at something (i.e. if someone looks at an object, not following their gaze and looking at the same object), abnormalities in speech (not in the presence but in use even at that age), sensory issue, stimming even if non-obvious stimming, either not wanting touched and held and being stiff or always wanted held (more commonly the former than the latter) is a particularly common sensory issue that is noticed

I think a toddler has to have a few noticeable Autism traits that can be grouped together before anyone can be sure that they are definitely on the spectrum. My younger cousin was delayed in speech when he was little. He seemed very babyish when he was 4, he was still in nappies because he still poohed himself. He caught up with the other children when he got to about 8 or 9, and seemed OK from then on. He's 16 now, and I can safely say that he is definitely NT. And no, his parents weren't to blame for his delays when he was a toddler. I know my uncle and aunt well enough, and he has an older brother anyway who wasn't delayed in anything.

i dont remember anything before age three, but my parents say i didnt recognize my father when i was a year old and he came home unshaven after a few days of absence.
and they say in kindergarten i didnt talk to the other kids and only hung around my brother. and that i was a very quiet, non demanding baby.