A new study has developed an assessment process for behaviors in infants that are strong predictors of autism. The work, by Lonnie Zwaigenbaum and others at the Canadian Autism Intervention Research Network developed the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI).
The AOSI uses 18 specific risk markers for autism developed from retrospective studies, videotape analyses, case reports and the collective clinical experience of the research team. These markers can be rated reliably within a brief clinical assessment, and the observations made at 12 months can be used to help predict which children are at highest risk of autism.
“What this instrument shows us”, says Dr. Zwaigenbaum, “is that you can pick up on the first signs of autism at a very early age – and maybe starting treatment at this early stage of development will make the difference for these children.”
The text of the study isn’t available but these publications from Canadian Autism Intervention Research Network provide more detail: Specific behaviors seen in infants can predict autism, new research shows; Behavioural manifestations of autism in the first year of life