Age of onset of autism
Bill Lindelof in the Sacramento Bee:
The signs of autism are not present at at 6 months but show up gradually later in an infant’s first year, a UC Davis study reveals.
Contrary to what autism experts once thought, signs of the disorder appear later in an infant’s first year of life. Most babies are born apparently normal before a gradual decline begins between 6 and 12 months of age, the study done at the UC Davis MIND Institute and UCLA shows.
A lack of eye contact, smiling or babbling are signs of autism, and researchers focused on those developmental markers during examinations in a five-year period. They concluded that autism’s symptoms are not evident in children under 6 months.
The study showed that by one year, social and communication behavior of autistic children had dramatically deteriorated.
"This study provides an answer to when the first behavioral signs of autism become evident," said Sally Ozonoff, study author and professor at the MIND Institute.
Researchers say the study is noteworthy because of the accuracy and precision of observation during lab visits.
"Until now, research has relied on asking parents when their child reached developmental milestones," said Ozonoff. "But that can be really difficult to recall."
In addition, parents who make video recordings of their children often turn off the camera when behavior is poor, exactly when autistic symptoms may appear, a MIND Institute news release states…
