Jul 4, 2006 4:15 pm US/Eastern
Autism May Be Detectable At Birth
by Sara Underwood
(CBS4)
Like any disorder the key to treating autism is to catch it as early as possible. Now scientists may soon be able to catch autism at birth.
Seven-year-old David Slatkin has autism. His mother noticed early signs of it when he was just 14-months-old.
"Since he had a twin sister, Alexandra that we could compare David to, it was easy for us to identify rather early," said Laura Slatkin.
Most autistic children aren't diagnosed until they are two, sometimes even four-years-old. That can delay crucial early treatment and intervention.
Now Yale scientists think they might be able to diagnose autism at birth. A new report by Doctor Harvey Kliman finds certain changes in the placenta, specifically a kind of folding, could signal the disorder.
"We found that children with autism were three to four times more likely to have this abnormal folding pattern than normal children," said Dr. Kliman.
So how can these two things be related? Researchers think the genetic material that causes the placenta to be abnormal might also be harming the development of the child's brain.
Scientists admit it is not a direct link, but it is a warning signal.
"It's like the check engine light in your car," said Dr. Kliman. It's basically saying something's going on, maybe you should have checked this a little more thoroughly."
The study was small and the findings are preliminary, but if future research confirms the results it could become a common way to spot autism.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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