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Updated: Jan 21, 2026
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A Strategy to Identify de Novo Mutations in Common Disorders such as Autism and Schizophrenia
Published on: June 15, 2011
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A video-based measure to identify autism risk in infancy
Gregory S Young1, John N Constantino2, Simon Dvorak3
1Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
Summary
A new video tool, the Video-referenced Infant Rating System for Autism (VIRSA), shows promise for early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) detection in infants. This system may help identify ASD risk sooner, improving timely intervention for children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurodevelopment
- Developmental Psychology
- Biomedical Informatics
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) signs appear within the first two years of life.
- Current average diagnosis age for ASD significantly lags behind symptom onset.
- There is a critical need for tools to improve early detection of ASD risk in infancy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a novel video-based approach for detecting ASD in infancy.
- To assess the reliability and validity of the Video-referenced Infant Rating System for Autism (VIRSA).
Main Methods:
- A prospective longitudinal study involved 76 infants with an older sibling with ASD and 37 control infants.
- Parents used the web-based VIRSA application to rate infants at 6, 9, 12, and 18 months.
- Psychometric properties, including reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity, were examined against ASD diagnoses.
Main Results:
- The VIRSA demonstrated satisfactory reliability and convergent/discriminant validity.
- VIRSA ratings were significantly lower for infants later diagnosed with ASD by 12 months of age.
- At 18 months, VIRSA scores identified all concurrent ASD diagnoses and 78% of later 36-month diagnoses.
Conclusions:
- The VIRSA shows promising psychometric properties for early ASD detection in at-risk infants.
- Further testing in diverse community samples is needed.
- The VIRSA's accessible format could reduce screening disparities in underserved areas.
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