Most recent quick-set in ID-ing autism

[Guest guest]

From today's, Aug., 25, 2008 Schafer Autism Report

RESEARCH

Autistic Children Make Limited Eye Contact

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay Reporter. tinyurl.com/4d9erb

While poor eye contact has long been a suspected sign of

possible autism, researchers at Yale University have used " eye-

mapping technology " to prove that children with autism don't make eye

contact like normally developing children do.

Published in the August issue of the Archives of General

Psychiatry, the new research found that children with autism spent

more time looking at an adult's mouth instead of gazing into the eyes.

" Just as the eyes are the window to the soul, the eyes are also

a window into social development, " said study senior author Ami Klin,

director of the autism program at Yale University School of Medicine.

Klin said that by using eye-mapping technology, it's possible

that a vulnerability for autism could be identified much earlier than

is currently possible. And, he said, " The earlier we are able to

identify children, the better it is, because early interventions make

a difference in optimizing children's outcomes. "

It's estimated that autism, a developmental disorder that

disrupts communication and social interaction, affects about 3.4 out

of every 1,000 children between the ages of 3 and 10, according to

the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Parents are

generally the first to notice early signs of autism. The NIMH says

that some known early signs that may indicate an autism spectrum

disorder in a child include:

• By age 1, doesn't babble, point or gesture.

• Doesn't speak a single word by 16 months.

• By age 2, hasn't combined two words.

• Seems to lose language skills.

• Interacts poorly socially.

• Doesn't respond to his or her name.

• Doesn't smile.

• Makes poor eye contact.

• Doesn't appear to know how to play with toys and may

repeatedly line up toys or other objects.

Check the URL above for more of the story.

The first thing I taught my globally delayed/PDD diagnosed son was to

look into my eyes, (of Lovaas', The Me Book) and that took a while,

but he is as social as his intelligence will allow now, it seems.

Many normal folks I have found not nearly as social, thereof? It

makes you wonder if what this report says is true, that autistic

children spend an inordinate amount of time looking at the others

mouth, that that would somehow help in developing speech? (vs

socialization?) I suspect for most of us it would be interesting to

follow any research in that direction.

Just my sense of It.

Mike,

I ABA

ABA for Understanding