Atypical development in siblings of children with autism is detectable at 12 months
Thursday, March 6, 2014 - 11:00
in Health & Medicine
Atypical development can be detected as early as 12 months of age among the siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder, a study has found. 28 percent of children with older siblings with ASD showed delays in other areas of development, identified in their social, communication, cognitive or motor development by 12 months. The most common deficits were in the social-communication domain, such as extreme shyness with unfamiliar people, lower levels of eye contact and delayed pointing. "Having a child in the family with autism spectrum disorder means that subsequent infants born into that family should be regularly screened for developmental and behavioral problems by their pediatricians," said the study's lead author.