Hanyang Med Rev.  2016 Feb;36(1):4-10. 10.7599/hmr.2016.36.1.4.

Early Detection and Intervention of Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Yoo H

• KMID: 2168366
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7599/hmr.2016.36.1.4

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically identified in early toddlerhood. Both retrospective and prospective follow up studies of high risk infants reveal early risk signs of ASD at 12-24 months of age. The most frequently replicated early signs of ASD are atypical visual tracking and coordination, lack of social reciprocity, abnormal social communication and unusual patterns of manipulating objects, atypical sensory exploration, expressed as uncoordinated eye contact, unresponsiveness to naming, lack of social smile, delayed development of nonverbal communication and joint attention, less sharing interest, and unusually repetitive use of objects. Early intervention, before 2 years of age, appears to change the underlying developmental trajectories of the brain in individuals with ASD. In this review, the early risk signs of ASD in infancy and toddlerhood, along with early intervention and their implications, are discussed.

Keyword

Autism Spectrum Disorder; Prodromal Symptoms; Early Medical Intervention

MeSH Terms

Autistic Disorder*
Brain
Child
Autism Spectrum Disorder*
Early Intervention (Education)
Early Medical Intervention
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Infant
Joints
Nonverbal Communication
Prodromal Symptoms
Prospective Studies
Retrospective Studies

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Schematic representation of the emergence of early clinical signs of autism spectrum disorders. Presented features correspond to findings obtained in prospective studies conducted in infants systematically followed after admission in neonatal intensive care units (NICU; signs recorded from the age of 4 months)[495051] or from prospective studies of siblings at high risk, either phenotypic [525354] or behavioral [5253545556575859606162]. Reprinted from Pediatric Neurology, Volume 49, Issue 4, Deconinck et al. (2013), Toward Better Recognition of Early Predictors for Autism Spectrum Disorders, pp225-231. Ref. 63 with permission from Elsevier.

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