Science

Some Babies “Bounce Back” from Autism Indicators

May 15th, 2014

Some children who show indicators of autism in the early months of life are bouncing back and developing socially at a more traditional pace. That is according to the latest in groundbreaking research reported by Atlanta’s Marcus Autism Center.Broadcast Version

Researchers at the Marcus Center have been studying how an infant’s gaze — looking at its mother’s face — can predict a diagnosis of autism. They are studying babies who have siblings already diagnosed with autism. Now researchers have found that some of those children who initially show a decline in gaze can bounce back.

“In these infants who display some early decline in looking at Mom’s eyes between nine and 18 months, they sort of put the brakes on that decline in eye looking, and then it begins to increase, increase actually at 18 months of age,” says Warren Jones, Ph.D., the Marcus Center’s Director of research. “And so one of our hopes is that by targeting treatment in that period, it may be more effective for more kids.”

The Center is already offering autism treatment at one year of age in babies that show red flags for the condition. Jones says that is the earliest treatment age anywhere in the world.

The Center’s new work is one of several studies looking at possible autism indicators in the first year of life. Prof. Francesca Happe, President of the International Society for Autism Research, says that area of research has burgeoned in just the past few years.

“We used not to know much about those [early] years until all the studies following siblings born into families where there’s already a child with autism,” says Happe. “And now we know what autism looks like from the earliest days and weeks. And the work of the Marcus Center has really been at forefront of this work.”

Jones reported the Marcus Center’s latest findings at the International Meeting for Autism Research being held in Atlanta this week.

The Marcus Center is looking for more volunteers in its ongoing research. It is seeking families with newborns. You can visit the Center’s website for more information.