New 5-minute Test WIth Infants Can Detect Autism
No one has an answer how autism develops, but more and more children are born with it each year. The alarming increase of autism rates are baffling doctors who can only advise parents on managing the disability, but recent developents are aiding professionals how to spot an infant as early as 6 months old whether who may be showing signs of a learning disability or autism.
After conducting a federal study on early detection of autism, doctors have discovered how taking five minutes to answer a questionnaire could give families a head start on proper treatment.
The WashingtonPost reports:
More than 36,000 children are diagnosed each year in the United States with autism spectrum disorder, a condition marked by social, communication and behavioral problems. Most are not identified until about age 5. Researchers have been trying to find the signs in younger children in order to start intensive therapy sooner and try to minimize abnormal behaviors.
Out of 10,479 infants who were screened between 2005 and 2009, 184 were referred for more specialized testing based on the results. Of those, 37 were diagnosed with autism. After following the children for about three more years, the researchers found that 32 still met the criteria for autism.
Overall, the screening tool was about 75 percent accurate at picking up autism or some other kind of developmental delay.
Want to get a copy of the test? Click here.
-Monique “Marvelous Mo” Balcarran
Photo: GospelJack
