Autism Linked to Excessive Early Brain Growth
Autism is devilishly difficult to diagnose at an early age. Ambiguous symptoms—delayed language, poor attention, emotional withdrawal—generally appear between the ages of 2 and 3. Parents may seek the wrong treatment, or worse, the condition may go unrecognized. A study published in the July 16 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that doctors may be able to anticipate the onset of autism much earlier by using a simple tool: a tape measure.
Researchers from the School of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego analyzed medical records of 48 autistic children and found that small head circumference at birth, coupled with a sudden excessive increase in head size during a child’s first year, appears to be linked with autism. The most severely autistic children were those whose heads grew the fastest.
