'Autism' Can Be Detected On Babies First Year Of Life

An earlier study showed that as early as one year old, brain scans can detect autism before any symptoms start to rise. The data gathered helped medical professionals to have an early test and therapies that work while the brain is more malleable.

Autism belongs to a group of complex disorder of brain development, which characterized by difficulties in interaction and verbal and non-verbal communication. Statistics shows that in every 100 people, one has an autism disorder.

On the brighter side, the journal published in Nature found out that as early as the first year of life, autism can be detected. Study lead the medical professionals to uncover early differences of a person who has an autism by looking the cerebral cortex - part of a brain that is responsible for the high level function like language.

Dr. Heather Hazlett, a researcher from University of North Carolina, explained to BBC News, "So it gives us a good target for when the brain differences might be happening for children at high risk of autism." In a way, this study leads to a better opportunity on how autism is treated and diagnosed.

In the course of action, the children, especially those in high-risk families, will undergo brain scans that will help to detect if there will be a possibility that a child has an autism disorder. Sooner or later if DNA testing advances enough this could be the best tool to determine children at high risk.

Hence, this may be a tool to develop therapies wherein it can train parents on how to properly interact and communicate with an autistic child. However, Carol Povey, director of the National Autistic Society's Centre for Autism, warned that autism may differ from the one who has it. Also, Autism may manifest in many different ways.