Cartoons 'could help spot autism'

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7966770.stm

 

Cartoons 'could help spot autism'

People with autism find it difficult to read social cues

Watching how a toddler responds to animations could help diagnose autism,

research has suggested.

Babies usually start paying attention to movement soon after birth, and pick up

information from the cues they see but children with autism often do not.

A study, published in Nature, where two-year-olds were shown manipulated

animations found those with autism focussed on movement linked to sound.

UK experts said a test of this kind could help pick up autism early.

This line of research holds promise for development of new therapies based on

redirecting visual attention in children with these disorders

Insel, US National Institute of Mental Health

In the Yale study, researchers created five versions of animated children's

games such as 'peek-a-boo' and 'pat-a-cake' where points of light marked

movement, each with sound.

On the other half of the screen, the same animation was presented upside down

and in reverse, but with the same audio as the upright version.

Previous studies have shown that, normally, children's attention is drawn to

such changes from around eight months old.

Twenty-one toddlers with autistic-spectrum disorders (ASD), 39 who were

developing normally and 16 who had developmental problems but did not have

autism were studied.

Both the toddlers who were developing normally and those with developmental

problems showed a clear preference for looking at the upright animations.

However the toddlers with ASD showed no preference and looked backwards and

forwards between the two halves of the screen.

But when the toddlers were shown the 'pat-a-cake' animation - where the figure

repeatedly and audibly claps his hands - those with ASD showed a marked

preference for the upright animation, where the sounds were in time with the

movement, choosing it 66% of the time.

The other children continued to prefer the upright version.

'Grabbing their attention'

Dr Ami Klin, of the Yale Child Study Center, who worked on the research, said:

" Our results suggest that, in autism, genetic predispositions are exacerbated by

atypical experience from a very early age, altering brain development.

" Attention to biological motion is a fundamental mechanism of social engagement,

and in the future, we need to understand how this process is derailed in autism,

starting still earlier, in the first weeks and months of life. "

Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health - which helped

fund the study, said: " For the first time, this study has pinpointed what grabs

the attention of toddlers with ASDs.

" In addition to potential uses in screening for early diagnosis, this line of

research holds promise for development of new therapies based on redirecting

visual attention in children with these disorders. "

A spokeswoman for the National Autistic Society said: " This is a really

interesting study which suggests that children are on a different learning

pathway from other children from a very early age.

" We warmly welcome all research which helps us further our understanding of

autism, and how best to help and support those with the condition. "

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

 

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport