COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Autism is typically diagnosed in children ages 3 to 5 years old, but researchers at the University of Missouri's Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment are exploring whether signs of autism could be detected as early as the first year of life.
In the first report from their longitudinal study, researchers Erin Andres and Stephen Sheinkopf found that behavior at 9 months old can indicate the likelihood that a 1 year old will be at risk for autism.
As part of the study, parents of 9-month-old infants answered questions from the Survey of Well-Being of Young Children about their infants' temperaments and adaptability. The survey asked about behaviors such as frequent crying, irritability, difficulty calming down and trouble adapting to new environments.
At 12 months, they completed an autism screening questionnaire that assessed communication skills, sensory sensitivities and restrictive or repetitive behaviors. The screening gauged whether infants responded to their names or were overwhelmed by loud noises such as vacuum cleaners.
"What we found was the infants at 9 months who were reported to be fussier had a harder time adapting, more difficulty sleeping and more delays in achieving developmental milestones were more likely to show signs of early autism by 12 months," Sheinkopf, the study's principal investigator and a professor of pediatrics, said.
The findings show that parent-reported information about an infant's early behaviors can potentially help spot signs of autism or developmental delays much earlier than previously thought.
While it's too soon to tell if these early signs lead to a formal autism diagnosis, the findings could help identify infants who may benefit from early intervention and provide pediatricians with a barometer to use when assessing infant development, allowing for more timely and tailored support.
"Whether it's helping infants develop language skills closer to their age-expected levels or developing early social skills that will help them thrive in preschool, we want all kids to flourish," Sheinkopf said.
The research team continues to collect a large amount of information about infants in the first year of life, including state-of-the-art measures of infant crying. But parents' descriptions of their babies' development are an important part of the team's approach.
"Parents are intuitive," Sheinkopf said. "They are experts on their children, and now we are trying to create better ways of measuring those things that they notice about their kids."
Looking ahead, the team believes the research could inform machine learning and electronic medical record algorithms to help flag children at elevated risk of autism, language delays or other differences in development — and ensure they get the support they need.
Research that resonates
When Andres, a postdoctoral fellow at the Thompson Center, presents this research at conferences, she often hears from parents who see the value in her research.
"Parents will often tell me about conversations they have with their doctor regarding their infant's crying patterns or difficulty calming down," she said. "They are glad to see that we are researching this topic, and they are very interested in these infant characteristics being measured earlier, too."
Andres understands those parents' concerns and their optimism about the research; she has a personal connection to the work herself.
"My own family has a history of dyslexia, and early language skills are one of the biggest predictors of reading success," Andres said. "Looking at language milestones for infants and identifying those who can benefit from extra supports is very rewarding."
"Caregiver report of infant behavior associated with autism likelihood in first year of life" was published in Pediatric Research.
