Autism Awareness: Scanning Brains -- Research Summary

BACKGROUND: Autism is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors. Autism can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination, and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some with certain types of autism excel in visual skills, music, math and art. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 88 children in the United States has autism. This is a 10-fold increase in prevalence in 40 years. Studies also show that autism is three- to four-times more common in boys. About 1 out of 54 boys and about 1 out of 252 girls are diagnosed with autism in the United States. This is more children than are affected by diabetes, AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy or Downs syndrome combined. Government statistics suggest that prevalence rates have increased 10 to 17 percent annually in recent years.

(SOURCE: Autismspeaks.org)

DIAGNOSING AUTISM: Research now suggests that children as young as 1 year of age can show signs of autism. It’s important to diagnose autism as soon as possible because early intervention may be a child’s best hope. Some red flags that may suggest a child should be screened include:

No big smiles or joyful expressions by 6 months or thereafter

No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions by 9 months or thereafter

No babbling by 12 months

No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months

No words by 16 months

No two-word meaningful phrases by 24 months

Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age

(SOURCE: Autismspeaks.org)

IMAGING STUDY: A new study, led by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found significant differences in brain development starting at 6 months of age in high-risk infants who later develop autism. The study suggests that autism does not appear suddenly in young children, but instead, develops over time during infancy. Researchers studied 92 infants who had older siblings with autism and were therefore considered to be at high-risk themselves. All participants had diffusion tensor imaging -- which is a type of MRI -- at 6 months and behavioral assessments at 24 months. Most also had additional brain imaging scans at either or both 12 and 24 months. At 24 months, 30 percent of the infants met the criteria for autism spectrum disorders while 70 percent did not. The two groups differed in white matter fiber tract development -- pathways that connect brain regions -- as measured by fractional anisotropy. This measures white matter organization and development based on the movement of water molecules through brain tissue. The researchers studied 15 separate fiber tracts. They found significant differences in FA trajectories in 12 out of the 15 tracts between infants who did develop autism versus those who did not. Infants who later developed autism had elevated fractional anisotropy at 6 months but then experienced slower change over time. By 24 months, infants with autism had lower FA values than those without autism. (SOURCE: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill press release) MORE

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