Summary: Signs of autism may be detectable as early as 9 months of age, well before the typical diagnosis window of 3 to 5 years. Researchers found that infants who were described by parents as fussy, slow to adapt, or delayed in development were more likely to show autism-related traits by 12 months.
These findings suggest that parent-reported behaviors could be an early indicator of autism risk, paving the way for earlier support and interventions. The research underscores the importance of listening to caregivers and may inform future screening tools using medical records and AI.
Key Facts:
- Early Indicators: Fussiness, sleep difficulties, and poor adaptability at 9 months are linked to autism risk at 12 months.
- Parent Insight Matters: Caregiver observations offer valuable early clues about infant development.
- Screening Potential: Findings may lead to earlier interventions and AI-based screening tools in pediatric care.
Source: University of Missouri Columbia
Autism is typically diagnosed in children ages 3 to 5 years old, but researchers at the University of Missouri’s Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment are exploring whether signs of autism could be detected as early as the first year of life.
In the first report from their longitudinal study, researchers Erin Andres and Stephen Sheinkopf found that behavior at 9 months old can indicate the likelihood that a 1 year old will be at risk for autism.
As part of the study, parents of 9-month-old infants answered questions from the Survey of Well-Being of Young Children about their infants’ temperaments and adaptability. The survey asked about behaviors such as frequent crying, irritability, difficulty calming down and trouble adapting to new environments.
At 12 months, they completed an autism screening questionnaire that assessed communication skills, sensory sensitivities and restrictive or repetitive behaviors. The screening gauged whether infants responded to their names or were overwhelmed by loud noises such as vacuum cleaners.
“What we found was the infants at 9 months who were reported to be fussier had a harder time adapting, more difficulty sleeping and more delays in achieving developmental milestones were more likely to show signs of early autism by 12 months,” Sheinkopf, the study’s principal investigator and a professor of pediatrics, said.
The findings show that parent-reported information about an infant’s early behaviors can potentially help spot signs of autism or developmental delays much earlier than previously thought.
While it’s too soon to tell if these early signs lead to a formal autism diagnosis, the findings could help identify infants who may benefit from early intervention and provide pediatricians with a barometer to use when assessing infant development, allowing for more timely and tailored support.
“Whether it’s helping infants develop language skills closer to their age-expected levels or developing early social skills that will help them thrive in preschool, we want all kids to flourish,” Sheinkopf said.
The research team continues to collect a large amount of information about infants in the first year of life, including state-of-the-art measures of infant crying. But parents’ descriptions of their babies’ development are an important part of the team’s approach.
“Parents are intuitive,” Sheinkopf said. “They are experts on their children, and now we are trying to create better ways of measuring those things that they notice about their kids.”
Looking ahead, the team believes the research could inform machine learning and electronic medical record algorithms to help flag children at elevated risk of autism, language delays or other differences in development — and ensure they get the support they need.
Research that resonates
When Andres, a postdoctoral fellow at the Thompson Center, presents this research at conferences, she often hears from parents who see the value in her research.
“Parents will often tell me about conversations they have with their doctor regarding their infant’s crying patterns or difficulty calming down,” she said.
“They are glad to see that we are researching this topic, and they are very interested in these infant characteristics being measured earlier, too.”
Andres understands those parents’ concerns and their optimism about the research; she has a personal connection to the work herself.
“My own family has a history of dyslexia, and early language skills are one of the biggest predictors of reading success,” Andres said. “Looking at language milestones for infants and identifying those who can benefit from extra supports is very rewarding.”
About this autism research news
Author: Brian Consiglio
Source: University of Missouri Columbia
Contact: Brian Consiglio – University of Columbia
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access.
“Caregiver report of infant behavior associated with autism likelihood in first year of life” by Erin Andres et al. Nature
Abstract
Caregiver report of infant behavior associated with autism likelihood in first year of life
Background
Identification of prodromal indicators of autism in infancy has the potential to identify behaviors relevant to early autism screening.
Methods
We report on data from a prospective general population birth cohort with maternal reported measures at 9 and 12 months: the Survey of Well-Being of Young Children (SWYC; general developmental surveillance) and the First Year Inventory-Lite v3.1b (FYI-Lite; autism specific parent report research tool). Mothers completed the surveys and the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ), a self-report measure of subclinical features of autism.
Results
In this sample of 332 infants (168 males), maternal-reported infant developmental milestones and behavioral indicators of difficult temperament, poor adaptability, and sleep problems at 9 months (SWYC) and maternal self-reported subclinical autism characteristics (BAPQ) were correlated with maternal-reported autism-related behaviors on the FYI-Lite at 12 months.
Regression models revealed significant unique associations between infant temperament, developmental milestones, and FYI-Lite scores while controlling for significant effects of maternal BAPQ scores and education.
Conclusions
Maternal report of infant temperament and developmental milestones at 9 months were associated with maternal-report early indicators of autism likelihood at 12 months in a general birth cohort. Follow up of this cohort is needed to determine associations with formal diagnostic outcomes.
Impact
- Identifying scalable measures of infant behaviors in general and specific to autism may help identify targets of intervention for infants in the first year of life.
- This study aims to contribute to improved first-year surveillance by assessing potential early autism indicators in a prospective general birth cohort, whereas other observational studies utilize enriched risk cohorts (e.g., infant siblings of autistic children).
- Preliminary findings of this cohort revealed that a maternal report of 9-month temperament significantly predicted higher scores on a maternal report 12-month autism screener and indicated the importance of considering maternal self-reported subclinical autism characteristics when interpreting parent report screeners.
