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TUESDAY, April 3 (HealthDay News) -- A new study suggests that some babies who fail to respond to their name by one year of age may be at heightened risk for an autism spectrum disorder.
Early identification can mean possible early intervention and better outcomes for affected children, say the authors of two studies aimed at early detection, published in the April edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The issue is devoted to autism research.
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A third study finds that every individual with the disorder accrues about $3.2 million in costs to society over his or her lifetime.
Autism spectrum disorder seems to be becoming more prevalent, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announcing that one in every 150 American 8-year-olds have some form of the disorder. That number is higher than prior estimates.
Autism's causes remain cloaked in mystery, although prior research has pointed to a strong genetic component.
Children and adults with autism experience difficulty with social and language skills and often display repetitive behaviors. However, the disorder is usually not diagnosed until age 3 or 4 -- even though as many as half of parents with autistic children report problems with development progress before their child's first birthday.
The findings announced today may help speed diagnosis. In one study, researchers at the M.I.N.D. Institute at the University of California, Davis, found that one-year-old infants who don't respond to their names are more likely to have autism or another developmental problem by the time they're two.
This cue could represent an easy way to spot the disorder early on, experts said.
"One of the challenges has been finding an early exam in the general practitioner's or pediatrician's office that can serve as a warning sign or diagnostic indicator," said Andy Shih, chief science officer for the nation's leading advocacy group, New York City-based Autism Speaks. "That's what this paper is getting at. It doesn't mean that [a non-responsive child] is destined to become autistic, but there seems to be a higher proportion who later go on to develop autism. This, along with many other clues such as language development, eye contact and even head circumference, are potentially simple diagnostic tools that could be used in the general practitioner setting."
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