Study by Flinders University detects signs of autism in first weeks

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http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26068823-2702,00.html

Study by Flinders University detects signs of autism in first

weeks

 

Verity | September 14, 2009

Article from:  The

Australian

A WORLD-FIRST study on siblings of

children with autism is showing that signs associated with the behavioural

disorder appear in babies in their first weeks of life.

The Flinders University research is the first of its kind to

study the behaviour of infants who have an increased risk of developing autism

from as young as 10 days, and to revisit the children every second month until

they are 18 months old.

The ability to diagnose children with an Autistic Spectrum

Disorder within the first months could lead to significant improvements in a

child's quality of life, because it would enable parents to seek early

intervention therapies for their children and to circumvent the formation of

specific behavioural patterns.

Study co-ordinator le Robson told The Australian

preliminary results were showing children in an at-risk group - with an older

sibling with an ASD including Asperger's syndrome - were developing different

behavioural patterns to children from families with no history ofautism.

" Many of the at-risk infants are showing early patterns

of behaviour that's consistent with autism even if they don't go on to develop

autism, " Ms Robson said yesterday. " Even if they didn't develop

autism, their development is different to infants with no family history of

autism and what it should be, suggesting there may be a broader spectrum of the

disorder among family members. "

The plight of parents with autistic children was highlighted

last week when national rugby league star Mat and his wife Chloe Maxwell

revealed that their son Max had been diagnosed with the behavioural disorder.

The family has been working with a therapist four hours a day

and they have noticed the three-year-old now engages with them.

Autism affects up to 16 children per 10,000, with wider

spectrum disorders affecting up to 60 children per 10,000. The assessments

measured a wide range of developmental areas, including traits associated with

autism such as responding to people, sensory perceptions and pictures. During

her assessments, Ms Robson used toys, pictures, noises and other items to gauge

the child's attention and watch how they responded.

Differences between the groups included noticeable

autism-related behaviours such as their ability to pay attention, respond to

their own name, early language development and cognitive abilities, temperament

and sensory processing.

As well as using four internationally recognised behavioural

measures to identify ASDs, Ms Robson and Flinders University psychologist Robyn

Young created an early detection tool to assess traits thought to develop

atypically in autistic infants from birth.

Autistic traits are not generally detected in children until

they are at least three years old, and many not until school.

Ms Robson said early detection enabled parents to seek

intervention therapy for the child as soon as possible, which could

significantly alter the formation of behaviour patterns.

" Early intervention seems to improve their prognosis;

there's anecdotal evidence that starting intervention early can lead to better

outcomes, " she said.

Early intervention involves behaviour-modifying therapy, such

as working repetitively with children to improve their understanding of verbal

instructions, play skills and teaching children how to respond to others.

Of the 39 children assessed, including 15 not at risk, Ms

Robson was able to tell the parents of three children there were definite signs

of an ASD before their first birthday.

" Three of those families started doing some behaviour

modifications and all of those children at 18 months old didn't have

autism, " she said.

The aim of the study is to investigate whether autism could be

detected at a younger age than with present diagnoses.