ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the early warning signs of autism. It discusses the role of "significant others", before concluding with the several areas to consider when looking for specific signs of autism and a scale to measure them against. A sign is a representation of an object that implies a connection between itself and its object. A natural sign bears a causal relation to its object—for instance, thunder is a sign of a storm. However, a conventional sign is by agreement and can be varied. Looking is a subtle instrument of contact and exchange. It implies alternating attention, or reciprocal investment. The baby can hear voices inside the womb from four months, and so the mother's voice, in all its expressive varieties and emotional tones, becomes the "psychic life" of the infant. Babies can discriminate other sounds and voices around them, such as those of the father and siblings. Hearing the mother's voice could ease the pain of separation after delivery.
