The Importance of an Early Diagnosis for Autism Treatment

The Importance of an Early Diagnosis For Autism Treatment

Autism is an incurable, and highly misunderstood disorder that manages to affect 1 in 68 newborns born in the United States1. Even with these shockingly high birth rates, autism increased by almost 120% from 2000 to 2010, and is considered the fastest-growing developmental disability1.

Autism is associated with a lack of social ability, such as difficulties to express oneself or form connections with other people. These side effects have very negative repercussions on those affected, often leading to depression, or even suicide, which is evident when compared to children of usual development. Compared to those with usual development, children with autism are 28 times more likely to contemplate or attempt suicide2. These statistics are shocking, and lead parents to do everything they can to improve the lives of their children. In the face of no known cure, they turn to treatment.

Treatment has been repeatedly proven to help autistic children's development, sometimes being so effective that it moves some children off the autism spectrum entirely4,5. During treatment, children learn how to build social skills, and relate to other people, both of which are typically lacking in people with autism3. Learning these skills help autistic children fit in with their peers, and overall have a better chance at building connections and living a happier life. Along with all of these positive changes coming with treatment, IQ is also dramatically increased when comparing children with treatment to those without. A 5 year study following a group of children with autism in a treatment program, and a control group of children with autism not doing treatment, found that the treatment group gained an average of 14 more IQ points than the control group, showing that treatment also has a large effect on IQ5.

While social skill and intelligence improvements are extremely desirable to parents planning to enhance their children's lives, for optimal effectiveness children must begin treatment as early as possible, even as early as their first birthday3,5. This becomes a problem, however, considering that most children are diagnosed with autism after their second birthday, which means they already missed their prime months of improvement. While the children cannot be fully diagnosed before the age of two, there is a way to find out if they are at high risk for autism as early as 12 months.

In “Neural correlates of face processing in etiologically-distinct 12-month-old infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder”, Maggie W. Guy discovers how to distinguish between infants at high risk for autism and infants at low risk for autism6. This study consisted of two groups, the first group, infants at high risk for autism, included siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASIIBs) and infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS), and the second group included infants at low risk for autism. Both these groups were shown novel stimuli and known stimuli, such as their mother’s face, and their brain potentials were recorded. It was found that at the Nc component, the low risk group showed a greater response to novel than to familiar stimuli, the ASIIBs had an equal response to both novel and familiar stimuli, and the FXS infants showed a greater response to familiar than to novel stimuli.

Therefore, by observing your infants Nc component to familiar and novel stimulus, parents can figure out if their child is at high risk for autism, and can then start treatment as early as possible, ultimately giving their children the best chance at a successful and happy life.

Works Cited:

1. Facts and Statistics. (2015, August 26). Retrieved October 17, 2017, from http://www.autism-society.org/what-is/facts-and-statistics/
2. What's the connection between autism and depression? (2012, July 24). Retrieved October 17, 2017, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/blog/2013/05/13/whats-connection-between-autism-and-depression
3. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). (2015, February 24). Retrieved October 17, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/treatment.html
4. How Is Autism Treated? (2012, July 24). Retrieved October 17, 2017, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/treatment
5. Autism Speaks. (2012, July 24). Retrieved October 17, 2017, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/about-us/press-releases/early-intervention-toddlers-autism-highly-effective-study-finds
6. Guy, M. W., Richards, J. E., Tonnsen, B. L., & Roberts, J. E. (2017, March 8). Neural correlates of face processing in etiologically-distinct 12-month-old infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder. Retrieved October 17, 2017, from https://luc.app.box.com/v/neuroseminar/file/216113986385