Dev. ped suspects son has autism due to echolalia and little spontaneous speech. he does come to me with arms outstretched to be picked up. autism?

Standardized screens: For ASD at 18-48 months, screens like the M-CHAT on firstsigns.org find children who need both ASD-specific diagnostic assessments of social communication, social reciprocity + stereotyped movements & tests of cognitive levels so therapy can be started early for best outcomes. Lifting arms to be picked up is, indeed, a good sign of communicative intent, typically developed by 6 months of age.