Simple test helps spot autism in infants: study

A five-minute screening test could help detect autism in babies at 12 months of age, giving parents and doctors far more time to intervene, U.S. researchers expressed recently.

As part of the screening programme, parents answered a survey, rating their babies on questions such as ‘When your child plays with toys, does s/he look at you to see if you are watching?’ or ‘Does your child smile or laugh while looking at you?’ Any baby who failed the screening was referred to autism centre for more testing.

These children were re-tested every six months until age 3, when they were likely to show signs of autism.

Reuters
Source: The Daily Star, April 30, 2011