New Study Says It's Possible to Spot Asperger's Syndrome in Infants

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http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Dr/Asperger_Diagnosis_040727-1.htm

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.... Authors of a new study on Asperger's syndrome say a " tilt test " can show

whether a baby might be at risk. Most babies will keep their head upright

when being tilted, instead of keeping it aligned with the body. ...

The infants apparently had difficulty sitting and standing without hunching

over. They also fell without putting their arms out to catch their fall.

Osnat Teitelbaum says the babies did not display the protective reflexes

that most infants develop.

She suggests parents try what she calls the tilting test. When carrying out

the test, parents hold the baby away from their own bodies, then slowly tilt

the baby from an upright position by 45 degrees to the right and left.

By eight months of age, most babies will try to keep his or her head

directly upright. Meanwhile, a child with Asperger's syndrome tends to keep

his or her head aligned with the body. That means his or her head would

completely tilt from side to side during a tilt test....

To find out more about the Teitelbaums' study, go to

www.psych.ufl.edu/~teitelb/