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Monday, May 14, 2007

Name Test is Early Warning Sign of Autism

Children who do not respond to their name by age one are more likely to have a developmental abnormality -- perhaps even autism, a new study revealed.

Researchers studied 101 children aged one, whose older siblings had autism and who were therefore considered at risk. They gave the babies a simple name test, whereby a researcher stood behind the child and called out its name in a normal voice. They compared the result to 46 infants of the same age who were not believed to be at high risk:

• At age 1 year, all infants in the low-risk group responded to their name on the first or second call
• In contrast, 14% of the at-risk kids failed to respond, even after a second call.

The study marks a big step forward as evidence now shows that autism can be far less severe in kids who get early treatment. The condition is usually not diagnosed until age 3 or 4.

“The really exciting thing is that by beginning early we are able to prevent the full-blown autism syndrome," said author Dr Geraldine Dawson. "If we can work with a baby at the time those brain systems are developing, we think they will be much more responsive to treatment."

The researchers however warn that this test can by no means identify all children who will experience developmental problems; conversely, not all children who test positive will fail to develop normally.

The study was published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, April 2007.