A Baby's Gaze Helps Determine Early Signs of Autism

A baby's gaze may help determine whether or not there are early signs of autism present in the system, according to a new study.

Researchers found that children who avoided eye contact were at a higher risk of autism and this can be picked up as early as two months. The research showed that signs of autism can be identified as early as in the first few months after the baby is born. They used an eye-tracking technology that measured the way infants look at and respond to social cues. "We found a steady decline in attention to other people's eyes, from two until 24 months, in infants later diagnosed with autism," investigator Dr Ami Klin, director of the Marcus Autism Centre in Atlanta, U.S., said.

"First, these results reveal that there are measurable and identifiable differences present already before six months. And second, we observed declining eye fixation over time, rather than an outright absence," she added. The scientists involved in the study confirmed that their observations was not visible to the naked eye and could only be measured using a specialized equipment, as published in the journal Nature. "To be sure, parents should not expect that this is something they could see without the aid of technology," lead author of the study. Dr Warren Jones and director of research at the Marcus Autism Centre, said.

"They shouldn't be concerned if an infant doesn't happen to look at their eyes at every moment. We used very specialized technology to measure developmental differences, accruing over time, in the way that infants watched very specific scenes of social interaction," he added. Autism is a condition that affects approximately 600,000 people in the United Kingdom alone.