New Study on Child Autism

Autism, also called autistic disorder or infantile autism, is known to attack some children before they reach three years of age and is characterized by repetitive behavior and difficulty in speech and social interaction. It is also one of the most common illnesses.

Now, a new research, which will be featured in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, said the symptoms of autistic disorder cannot be identified in infants before they reach six months. However, signs can be recognized by the time they turn one. The research holds that spotting early signs in young infants is an exercise in futility.

Babies with siblings having autism are more at risk of developing the illness, which is why parents are observing their younger babies for signs of a lack of eye contact and communication.

The research examined 25 babies who have autistic siblings and 25 peers who have no autistic siblings and have been born after 36 weeks gestation. They were assessed by examiners every six months until they reached three years old, noting the number of times they made eye contact, babbled, and smiled. The researchers were not told which babies were at low-risk or high-risk of the disorder.

The examiners realized there were very little discernable distinctions between the groups at six months. However, when they reached 12 months, their developments had remarkably diverged. The normal babies had an increase in their social and communicative behavior, while the other group had a decrease in such behavior.

By 12 months, eye contact was one of their differences. By 18 months, there were more differences like smiling and other social behavior developing.