Can Autism Be Diagnosed In Infancy?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors should begin screening for autism by 18 months. Now some researchers are suggesting that signs of autism can be seen as early as 12 months.

Early warning signs include: not responding to one’s name, not sharing interests through pointing and eye gaze, lack of joyful expression, an absence of babbling, difficulty establishing eye contact, and staring too long at inanimate objects. Researchers compiled this list by studying home videos of children with autism and their younger siblings, who have high rates of autism.

At the Yale Child Study Center, researchers measure when toddlers stop blinking while watching a video; typical children will do so at scenes of emotion, while a child with autism will fixate on the opening and
closing of a door.

At Vanderbilt University, babies are shown a sealed jar of cookies, their reactions recorded and evaluated; typical children will seek the assistance of a caregiver through eye contact and gestures; a child with autism will repeatedly place the caregiver’s hand on the jar but never make eye contact

These studies, along with others, were presented at a conference at Columbia University’s Teachers College. The goal: to identify autism as early as possible so that intervention and assistance can begin as early as possible.

Investigators stress that no one test or behaviour alone is indicative of autism, and the goal is not to officially diagnose these children but rather to identify them as “at risk” and get them assistance as soon as possible.

“The environment in the early years has an active role in shaping the brain,” says Geraldine Dawson, chief scientific officier of the advocacy group Autism Speaks. “What we see in autism may be partly the result of not engaging with the social environment. So if you engage the baby through an intervention, you might prevent or at least reduce the development of autism symptoms.”

Some studies aim to help children as young as eight months, such as one at the University of Washington funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dawson explains, “What we are doing is teaching the parents how to structure interactions to promote eye contact and babbling.” The goal, she says, is to “begin before the full autism syndrome is present and prevent it from emerging.”

Of course, not every baby that is slow to babble has autism. Which begs the question: does identifying these early warning signs truly help children? Or does it simply fuel parents’ fears?