Another challenge is that many of the signature signs of autism delayed speech, repetitive movements or fixations on particular toys or objects involve language and motor skills that babies have not yet acquired. One issue, says Catherine Lord, director of the University of Michigan Autism & Communication Disorders Center, is that there is so much individual variability in how babies develop. In 2007, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that doctors begin screening babies for autism at 18 months, but researchers have yet to refine the tools for making a reliable diagnosis at that age. ![]() That's a long time to be concerned and not know what to do." For parents, says Stone, director of Vanderbilt's Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders, "the average age of first concern is 17 months, though a diagnosis isn't typically made until age 3. ( See six tips for traveling with an autistic child.)Įxperiments like these, presented at a recent conference at Columbia University's Teachers College, are helping researchers identify the signs of autism at ever earlier ages. The typical child will stare at the scene of a kiss, but a child with autism will be transfixed by the opening and closing of a door. At the Yale Child Study Center, psychologists Warren Jones, Ami Klin and Sarah Shultz measure when toddlers stop blinking a reliable indicator of rapt attention. Show the average 18-month-old a video of toddlers at play, and you can bet that the tot will be mesmerized by scenes with strong emotion: a fight or kiss. One little boy, captured on video by psychologist Wendy Stone at Vanderbilt University, repeatedly places a researcher's hand on the cookie jar but never once looks at her face to see why she isn't responding. The request for help delivered with eye contact, gestures and often with pleading sounds is unmistakable. ![]() The child will reach for the treats and, when thwarted, look beseechingly at the nearest adult. Follow the average 14-month-old baby a sealed jar of cookies, and you get some pretty predictable behavior.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |