Biomed Radio - Washington University School Of Medicine In St. Louis

Babies born prematurely are at an increased risk for autism spectrum disorders, so researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital have been trying to determine whether it’s possible to identify which babies may go on to develop those problems. They assessed babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, looking for early signs that a child born prematurely might be at risk, but they found that the warning signs they would have expected — such as an avoidance of eye contact — didn’t actually predict autism spectrum disorders but instead were more prominent in babies who did not develop an autism spectrum disorder. RATES OF AUTISM ARE INCREASING AND DIAGNOSIS IS OCCURING EARLIER THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS, BUT HOW EARLY CAN THE SIGNS OF AUTISM BE DETECTED? BABIES WHO ARE BORN PREMATURELY ARE AT AN INCREASED RISK FOR AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS. AND LOOKING FOR WARNING SIGNS IN PREMATURE BABIES , RESEARCHERS AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AND ST. LOUIS CHILDREN’S