The August issue of Pediatrics reports on a retrospective study over 11 years of over 2100 NICU newborns. The researchers discovered that the infants who later received a diagnosis of autism had a higher incidence of persistant neurobehavioral abnormalities such as increased upper extremity muscle tone and asymmetrical visual tracking at one month of age. The children who were identified with autism were 4 times more likely to be male and 2 weeks younger at birth. By the time the infants were 4 months of age, a preference for increased visual stimulation was observed. In addition, by 7 months of age a decrease in motor performance was observed. At 10 months of age, a decrease in cognitive performance was seen.
Reference: Todd Neale. Deficits in Early Infancy May Point to Autism. Retrieved from MedPage Today on 8/2/10 at http://www.medpagetoday.com/Pediatrics/Autism/21474
No comments:
Post a Comment