Jenifer Maloni?s infant?s participation in an autism study not only proved beneficial to researchers, but directly affected the boy?s development as well.
Maloni?s older son, Dominic, 5, has an autism spectrum diagnosis, and researchers were looking for younger siblings of autistic children to develop earlier diagnosis techniques ? crucial to treating autism and improving outcomes.
Dylan, now 3, entered the study at seven months and developed typically until about 14 months, his mother said, but then regressed. Because Maloni was already familiar with the neurological disorder and because of the study by the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Dylan?s autism diagnosis came at 18 months, which will benefit him the rest of his life.
“Dylan had definitely started to regress, but friends and family were telling me, ?Oh, he?ll be fine,? ” said Maloni, who lives in Mt. Airy. “But the researchers watched him for hours and picked up on very subtle signs. With the first one, Dominic, I thought I was being paranoid. Early intervention is so important before age 3 ? they need so much help while their brain is still developing.”
The findings of a recent study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry offer an earlier window of opportunity for diagnosis and intervention before the typical diagnosis of autism in 3- to 4-year-old children.
The study examined factors such as eye contact, responsive smiling, babbling, language, play, and initiating or sustaining social interaction. They observed statistically significant differences between the ASD group and the unaffected group at 14 months. By 24 months, significant differences were detectable between the ASD group and unaffected groups.
“Autism seems to be particularly progressive between 14 and 24 months,” said Dr. Rebecca Landa, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and lead author of the study. “If we are able to educate professionals to identify red flags in development, we can then recognize and diagnose the disorder at 1 1/2 or 2 years of age, instead of 3 or 4, allowing for earlier intervention and ultimately better outcomes.”
Today, 1 in 166 children is diagnosed with autism, making it the fastest-growing disability in the United States.
