A researcher from the San Diego School of Medicine has created a five minute checklist that may help doctors detect autism in children faster. Autism is a developmental disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate. Currently autism is typically diagnosed at the median age of 5.7 years old, but this new set of questions could mean a diagnosis at the age of one.
“I am hoping it will become the standard of care,” researcher Karen Pierce, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of San Diego School of Medicine said about her new questionnaire.
Recently 137 pediatricians throughout San Diego County helped Pierce with the study. Doctors asked parents the checklist of questions at their babies 12 month wellness visit. With a checklist of 24 items, doctors asked about the child’s emotions, eye gaze, communication, gestures, and other behaviors. Here are several of the questions asked:
- Do you know when your child is happy and when your child is upset?
- Does your child do things just to get you to laugh?
- Does your child string sounds together, such as uh oh, mamma, gaga, bye-bye?
- When you call your child’s name, does he/she respond by looking or turning toward you?
- Does your child wave to greet people?
- Does your child smile or laugh while looking at you?
The results show this set of questions detects Autism or other developmental problems 75% of the time.
Autism Speaks supported the study as did the Organization for Autism Research and the National Institute of Mental Health. All organizations say this study is an important step forward noting earlier detection leads to earlier intervention and hopefully a better life for those with developmental disabilities.
The new study is published online in the Journal of Pediatrics.
