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Early detection of core deficits in autism

Marian Sigman1, Angeline Dijamco, Maya Gratier

  • 1University of California at Los Angeles, Psychiatry/Biobehavioral Sci/Psych-Dev, Box 95175759, 68-237 NPI, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. msigman@ucla.edu

Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews
|January 25, 2005
PubMed

Insights

This review explores early autism detection methods in infants, aiming for diagnoses before 18 months. Investigating early social development in typically developing infants informs strategies for identifying core autism deficits.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

  • Current autism diagnoses occur between 24-30 months.
  • Early detection in infancy is crucial for timely intervention.
  • Identifying core deficits requires understanding typical infant social development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review research on early autism detection strategies in infancy.
  • To summarize criteria for core autism deficits.
  • To guide future research by examining early social development.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of research strategies for early autism detection.
  • Analysis of early social development in typically developing infants under 18 months.
  • Examination of social domains: dyadic interaction, imitation, emotion discrimination, and attachment.

Main Results:

  • Early detection before 18 months is feasible.
  • Understanding typical infant social development is key to identifying early autism signs.
  • Specific social domains show promise for early detection.

Conclusions:

  • Early detection of autism in infancy is a critical goal.
  • Investigating dyadic interaction, imitation, emotion discrimination, and attachment is essential.
  • Infant siblings of children with autism are a high-risk group for further study.

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