Finding Autism Earlier
The goal is to have swifter interventions for children and caregivers

(HealthDay News) -- When you take care of a child day in and day out, you're usually the first to know if something's amiss.

But, even when you know something's wrong and you suspect your child might have an autism spectrum disorder, it often takes months or even a year to get a diagnosis.

However, new simplified guidelines might change that.

"The tendency has been to understand that child development varies widely and to reassure the parents that some children speak late or even if they seem to be off track developmentally, that most children catch up," Dr. Melissa Nishawala, clinical director of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Service at the New York University Child Study Center, told HealthDay . "So, if there's a parental concern, they may get a referral, or it may take several months" of waiting to see if the child gets back on track developmentally.

But, she said, "the earlier we find out, the swifter we can intervene when the brain is more immature, and we can help to model it in different directions."

Autism is one of a group of developmental disorders grouped under the title autism spectrum disorders, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. As they grow, children with autism often have great difficulty with social interactions, have trouble communicating and might engage in repetitive, obsessive behaviors.

The guidelines -- one set that focuses on diagnosing autism and another on intervention -- were published in the journal Pediatrics after they were presented at an annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in San Francisco .

According to the guidelines, early signs of autism could include:

• Repetitive movement with objects
• Failure to make eye contact
• No expressions of joy when looking at a parent or other familiar caregiver
• Not recognizing a parent's voice or not reacting when a parent says the infant's name
• A lack of back-and-forth babbling between baby and parent, which should start at about 5 months of age
• No babbling after 9 months old
• Failure to speak single words by 16 months
• No two-word phrases by 2 years old
• A loss of language skills at any age

The guidelines recommend universal screening between 18 and 24 months, even if parents or caregivers haven't expressed specific concerns.

The second set of guidelines advises that treatment should begin as soon as autism is even suspected, instead of waiting for the diagnosis to be confirmed. Additionally, the guidelines recommend that pediatricians become more familiar with alternative therapies that parents might try, such as dietary restrictions.

"Pediatricians need to be aware of the alternatives and listen to parents who may want to go down those avenues, and they need to know where to send those families for additional help," Dr. Cynthia Johnson, director of the Autism Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, told HealthDay . "If families feel dismissed by their doctor, they may not disclose all the treatments they're trying."

On the Web

To learn more about the stresses of caring for an autistic child, visit the Autism Society of America.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Cynthia Johnson, M.D., director, Autism Center, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Melissa Nishawala, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry, and clinical director, Autism Spectrum Disorders Service, New York University Child Study Center, New York City; November 2007, Pediatrics ; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (www.ninds.nih.gov)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: Nov. 30, 2008
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