communication disorder – NIH Director's Blog (original) (raw)
Brain Scans Show Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Posted on February 21st, 2017 by Dr. Francis Collins
Source: Getty Images
For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), early diagnosis is critical to allow for possible interventions at a time when the brain is most amenable to change. But that’s been tough to implement for a simple reason: the symptoms of ASD, such as communication difficulties, social deficits, and repetitive behaviors, often do not show up until a child turns 2 or even 3 years old.
Now, an NIH-funded research team has news that may pave the way for earlier detection of ASD. The key is to shift the diagnostic focus from how kids act to how their brains grow. In their brain imaging study, the researchers found that, compared to other children, youngsters with ASD showed unusually rapid brain growth from infancy to age 2. In fact, the growth differences were already evident by their first birthdays, well before autistic behaviors typically emerge.
Tags: ASD, Asperger syndrome, autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, brain, brain imaging, child health, communication disorder, diagnostics, infant, Infant Brain Imaging Study, machine learning, MRI, pediatrics