Signs of autism in children detected by newly-developed tool

Signs of autism in children detected by early screening

Signs of autism can be detected as early as one year of age according to U.S. researchers who devised a novel tool for early screening.

The checklist was tested on 10,479 babies at their first annual medical check-up. Since it is experimental at this stage, it will take some time before the tool is used routinely by pediatricians.

It contains 24 questions that parents answer about their children's behavior, communication and interaction. At least 137 pediatricians used the checklist as an additional basis for further referrals. Of the group, 184 were re-evaluated for possible autism and 32 were later confirmed to have the condition.

The autism study was published Thursday in the Journal of Pediatrics and was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

"There are subtle signs of autism at one year if you just look for them," said study leader Karen Pierce, who is a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego.

Pediatricians advise parents to monitor these early signs of autism: lack of shared attention, lack of shared enjoyment, repetitive behaviors and lack or delay in communication.

Autism is a developmental disorder affecting 1 in every 100 American children who develop communication and behavioral problems.

Pediatricians in the U.S. currently conduct autism screening at 18 and 24 months but the average age of diagnosis is 5 years old. Now the new tool will help check for the earliest signs of the condition and get more children treated. Early therapy is known to be effective in reducing the severity of symptoms of autism.

Posted by George Daniels on Friday April 29 2011, 8:05 AM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0