Opinion / Q&A
Diagnosing autism with a camera and an algorithm
/
Robert Schultz hopes to use technology to change how autism is studied, diagnosed and treated.
Diagnosing autism is an evolving science but a crucial first step to understanding the disorder.
Robert Schultz hopes to use technology to change how autism is studied, diagnosed and treated.
Cut off from clients by the pandemic, clinicians are turning to video conferencing and other technologies to diagnose children with autism.
Doctors often conflate autism and intellectual disability, and no wonder: The biological distinction between them is murky. Scientific progress depends on knowing where the conditions intersect — and part ways.
A new blood test can identify within seven hours whether a person carries the genetic mutation underlying fragile X syndrome.
Individuals with mutations in an autism gene called TRIO may have a range of conditions, including intellectual disability and anomalous head size.
A short, widely used screening survey for autism called the AQ-10 may not be reliable for measuring traits of the condition in the general population.
Autism prevalence in the United States continues to rise, according to a new study of 8-year-old children in 11 states. Boys are 4.3 times as likely as girls are to have autism, a ratio that is consistent with previous estimates.
Autistic infants as young as 6 months display subtle signs of the condition, according to a study of visual attention.
Providing training for primary-care clinicians and for families can go a long way to lowering the average age of autism diagnosis and helping children get the services they need.
Girls with autism are diagnosed 1.5 years later, on average, than boys with the condition, perhaps because they tend to have stronger verbal skills.