12-04-2004, 05:36 PM
http://cbs2chicago.com/health/local_stor...55718.html
Dec 3, 2004 2:52 pm US/Central
CHICAGO (CBS 2) The sooner a child with autism is diagnosed, the sooner intervention can start. Now researchers are checking kids at high risk for the disorder before age one.
Jennifer Maloni has two active young boys. Dylan who's two, and his three-and-a half-year-old brother, Dominic, who is autistic. (:04)
"Even if I like kind of held his face this way and said, 'Dominic, look at mommy', he would just kind of look right past my face,” Maloni said.
After his first birthday, she noticed similar signs in Dylan, so she immediately enrolled him in a baby sibling study where researchers are following high-risk baby brothers and sisters of children with the disorder.
"These children, if we start to follow them early in life, we get to see what autism looks like when it first comes on the scene," said Dr. Rebecca Landa.
Typically, autism is diagnosed at age three. But Landa believes symptoms can be spotted as early as six months.
"From what we've learned, we'll be able to diagnose autism earlier. We'll have a better idea of what we should be doing in intervention with young children with autism," Landa said.
Autism has a wide spectrum of symptoms involving problems with social interaction and communication.
"It comes back to the eye contact. It comes back to being reciprocal with other people, matching them," Landa said.
Dylan was diagnosed with autism at 18 months and Maloni says early intervention has made a difference.
"The main difference is that he's here with us. We know that he's here with us right now and he wasn't with us for a while,” Maloni said.
There are a variety of sibling studies around the country.
Dec 3, 2004 2:52 pm US/Central
CHICAGO (CBS 2) The sooner a child with autism is diagnosed, the sooner intervention can start. Now researchers are checking kids at high risk for the disorder before age one.
Jennifer Maloni has two active young boys. Dylan who's two, and his three-and-a half-year-old brother, Dominic, who is autistic. (:04)
"Even if I like kind of held his face this way and said, 'Dominic, look at mommy', he would just kind of look right past my face,” Maloni said.
After his first birthday, she noticed similar signs in Dylan, so she immediately enrolled him in a baby sibling study where researchers are following high-risk baby brothers and sisters of children with the disorder.
"These children, if we start to follow them early in life, we get to see what autism looks like when it first comes on the scene," said Dr. Rebecca Landa.
Typically, autism is diagnosed at age three. But Landa believes symptoms can be spotted as early as six months.
"From what we've learned, we'll be able to diagnose autism earlier. We'll have a better idea of what we should be doing in intervention with young children with autism," Landa said.
Autism has a wide spectrum of symptoms involving problems with social interaction and communication.
"It comes back to the eye contact. It comes back to being reciprocal with other people, matching them," Landa said.
Dylan was diagnosed with autism at 18 months and Maloni says early intervention has made a difference.
"The main difference is that he's here with us. We know that he's here with us right now and he wasn't with us for a while,” Maloni said.
There are a variety of sibling studies around the country.