In the brain, an earlier sign of autism
“Differences in the use of eye gaze to regulate social interaction is already a well-recognized early feature in many children with autism from the second year of life, and at present, it is these increasingly well-documented ‘first signs’ that will alert parents and professionals to possible differences,” said Tony Charman from the Institute of Education, London, who co-led the study. “Future studies will be required to determine whether measurements of brain function such as those used in our study might one day play a role in helping to identify children at an even earlier age.”
Autism has no one known cause and no known cure, but early detection of autism signs can lead to an early diagnosis. Early diagnosis is crucial in obtaining early intervention and treatment. Early intervention and treatment, in turn, can have a profoundly positive effect on the outcome of a child who has been diagnosed with autism.
So what should parents look for? Autism affects communication and social interaction. While delays in these areas are not the only signs of autism, they are hallmarks of the disorder. Very early signs of autism may include a baby’s failure to turn toward the source of sound or to be interested in looking at faces. Normally developing babies love to gaze at faces and will usually smile back at a smiling face around age 4 months.
A lack of joy in interacting with parents and caregivers, or failure to babble and coo when pleased, or cry when displeased, are early signs of autism.
It will also be important to explore factors that might “protect” some infants who do show early differences in their brains’ responses to eye contact from going on to a diagnosis of autism, he added.
What are some significant warning signs of autism?
There have been studies that show impairments in social communication can distinguish infants who are later diagnosed with autism. According to research conducted by Drs. Amy Wetherby and Julian Woods at Florida State University, the common warning signs for autism in the second year of life are
- Lack of showing
- Lack of gestures: pointing, reaching, waving, showing
- Lack of sharing interest or enjoyment with others
- Repetitive movements with objects
- Lack of appropriate eye gaze
- Lack of response to name (something parents report very frequently)
- Lack of warm, joyful expressions
- Unusual prosody (rhythm and intonation of language)
- Repetitive movements or posturing of the body
Early red flags:
If your baby is showing any of these signs, parents should ask their physician for an immediate evaluation:
- No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
- No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by nine months or thereafter
- No babbling by 12 months
- No back-and-forth gestures, such as pointing, showing, reaching, or waving by 12 months
- No words by 16 months
- Loss of speech
- No two-word meaningful phrases (without imitating or repeating) by 24 months
- Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age