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Updated: May 27, 2026
Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
Published on: March 27, 2012
Could head circumference be used to screen for autism in young males with developmental delay?
Kylie M Gray1, John Taffe, Deborah J Sweeney
1Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. kylie.gray@monash.edu
Insights
Head circumference growth is not a reliable early marker for autism. This study found no significant differences in head size between children with autism and those with developmental delay alone.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Pediatric growth studies
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition.
- Previous research suggested accelerated head circumference growth in infants with autism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate head circumference at birth and growth rates in young children with autism and developmental delay.
- To compare these measures with children with developmental delay without autism.
Main Methods:
- Assessed head circumference at birth and rate of change in 86 children with autism and 40 children with developmental delay without autism.
- Compared findings with Centers for Disease Control normative data.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in head circumference at birth or growth rates were found between the autism group and the developmental delay only group when compared to each other.
- However, children with autism showed significantly smaller head circumferences at birth and significantly larger head circumferences at 18.5 months compared to normative data.
Conclusions:
- Head circumference measurement shows limited value as an early diagnostic marker for autism.
- Accelerated head circumference growth may not be a consistent early indicator for autism in all cases.
Aim:
Research has suggested an abnormal acceleration in head circumference growth in children with autism within the first 12 months of life. This study aimed to examine head circumference at birth and head circumference growth rates in young children with autism and developmental delay, and young children with developmental delay without autism.
Methods:
This study assessed head circumference at birth and rate of change in head circumference in young children with autism (n=86) and children with developmental delay without autism (n=40).
Results:
For both groups of children, head circumference at birth and head circumference growth were compared with Centers for Disease Control normative data. No differences were found between the group of children with autism and developmental delay compared with the group with developmental delay only. However, when the sample was compared with a range of selected Centers for Disease Control normative medians, the children with autism were found to have significantly smaller head circumferences at birth and significantly larger head circumference at 18.5 months of age.
Conclusions:
These results are discussed in relation to the potential of accelerated head circumference growth as an early marker for autism. This study failed to find a difference in the head circumferences of children with autism and developmental delay and children with developmental delay only, thus suggesting that head circumference measurement has limited value as an early marker for autism.
