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Watch Your Child! -Early Signs of Autism-

Many of us have been directly affected by, or have known someone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a serious neurological disorder that impairs an individual’s social skills and ability to communicate. It comes in many different forms and degrees, therefore, an autism spectrum ranging from mild to severe has been developed. ASD is caused by genetic and environmental factors, but is not yet fully understood (Statistics & Trends). In 2016, the Autism Science Foundation reported that in the United States alone, roughly 1 in 68 children have been diagnosed with ASD with males 5 times more inclined to developing ASD than females. This makes ASD the second most common child neurological disorder. Thus, something to talk about.      

First, it is important to recognize the warning signs. Symptoms of ASD can range from repetitive behaviors, imitation, social communication deficits, unique strengths, eye contact aversion, emotional detachment, and other socially cued responses. Indicators appear consistently between the ages of 2 and 3 years, but can be detected as early as 18 months (What is Autism?). Due to the critical developmental period in children, it is best to get the earliest intervention possible in order to improve the outcome of the child.

Maggie W. Guy, an expertise in Developmental, Cognitive, and Experimental Psychology, examined neural correlates of face processing among high-risk 12-month-olds. In her study, she studied two distinct groups of infants. The first group were infants at high risk of developing ASD and included infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and siblings of children with ASD (ASIIBS). The second group was the control group and contained only low risk infants (LR). Visual images of novel and familiar stimuli of faces and toys were shown to each group while recording the event-related potentials of each infant. The results from the ERPs indicated that LR infants showed the greatest response to novel stimuli, whereas FXS had the greatest response to familiar stimuli. Surprisingly, ASIIBS did not discern novel from familiar stimuli and had equal response levels to both (Guy, 2017). Thus, neurological differences in activation can help correctly diagnose accurately ASD apart from other child neurological disorders.

Autism= Brain- Lead

As shown in the research study done by Guy, siblings of children with ASD are at a high risk of showing signs and developing ASD. Younger siblings of autistic children are 18.7% more likely to develop ASD than those without an older autistic sibling (Rochman, 2011). The article, “Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder in 12- month-old High-Risk Siblings by Parental Report,” explores the ability of parental identification of ASD in high-risk siblings. The study investigated whether parental ratings of their child at 12- months differ in social communication and repetitive behaviors than those of clinician ratings. It was found that both the parental and clinician report of high-risk siblings diagnosed with ASD were correlated and both rated social abnormalities on the same level. However, clinicians were able to better detect repetitive behavior. Identifying repetitive behavior and the Imitation construct is imperative to identify ASD groups from other high-risk groups that show atypical developmental patterns (Rowberry, 2014).

Every parent wants the best for their child, this means early diagnosis. A child on the autistic spectrum will learn, grow, and develop, just a different rate. In addition, each child may need a different treatment plan best fit to their symptoms and behaviors. Therefore, the earlier a child can receive help, the better for them developmentally. Although ASD cannot be fully diagnosed until 2 years of age, behavioral signs usually arise earlier (Disabilities, 2001).

Don’t just leave it to the pediatricians, you see your child's behaviors everyday! Look for the signs and seek help!

Works Cited

Guy, Richards, Tonnsen, & Roberts. (2017). Neural correlates of face processing in 

etiologically-distinct 12-month-old infants at high-risk of autism spectrum disorder. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

Disabilities, C. O. (2001, July 01). Developmental Surveillance and Screening of Infants and 

Young Children. Retrieved October 18, 2017, from http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/108/1/192

American Academy of Pediatrics

How Common is Autism? (2017). Retrieved October 17, 2017, from

http://autismsciencefoundation.org/what-is-autism/how-common-is-autism/

Autism Science Foundation

(Image) Autism Prevalence Unchanged in 20 Years. (2014, September 10). Retrieved October 

18, 2017, from https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/autism-prevalence-unchanged-in-20-years/

Rochman, B. (2011, August 15). For Siblings of Autistic Kids, Risk Is Far Higher Than Thought. 

Retrieved October 18, 2017, from http://healthland.time.com/2011/08/15/autism-affects-far-more-siblings-than-suspected/#ixzz1VPitbxKc

Rowberry, J., Macari, S., Chen, G., Campbell, D., Leventhal, J., Weitzman, M., & Chawarska, C. 

(2015). Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders in 12-Month-Old High-Risk Siblings by Parental Report. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(1), 221-229.

Statistics & Trends. (2013, April 29). Retrieved October 17, 2017, from

http://readingroom.mindspec.org/?p=7160&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1JbPBRCrARIsAOKj2PlCDicrq5vjd1acvOmnjP3Mkkhw33ZKUMj0tTowevJZ3SgwwkheZhMaAozlEALw_wcB

What Is Autism? (2012, May 30). Retrieved October 17, 2017, from

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism