Autism affects about 1 in every 150 newborns in the United States. While no one cause of autism has been found, research indicates that infants who have a sibling with autism are at a greater risk: 1 in 20.
A new study by the University of Washington Autism Center hopes to study 200 babies in the Seattle area who have siblings with autism. The study’s goal is to determine whether early intervention by mothers has an effect on the siblings’ social development.
Dr. Annette Estes, associate director of the center, states that “With autism, we think there may be some disruptions in the social communication system’’ of children affected. Dr. Estes believes that “very, very early subtle episodes of social interaction . . . may be necessary for the social brain to develop in a typical way.’’
Therefore, the mothers in the study will be trained to detect these subtle communication cues in their babies. Mothers will be taught to engage infants in eye contact and to communicate to them in tones that will capture their attention and help make language acquisition easier. Dr. Estes says the researchers “want parents to really be attuned when a child reaches for a toy and looks at the parent. We want parents to be really aware when their child is allowing them into their world and to know what to do at that point.’’
Behavioral specialists will monitor the babies and evaluate them at the ages of 6, 12 and 24 months; babies who start to develop symptoms of autism will be assigned a speech and behavioral therapist to determine if symptoms can be eliminated or lessened by early intervention.
The study may provide answers to questions about brain development in all children, not just those at risk for autism. Dr. Estes notes that the study is especially important for parents who have a younger child whose older sibling has autism. Currently, there are no options for these parents, who can only wait to see whether the younger child develops autism symptoms.
To read more about the study, visit the University of Washington Autism Center’s research page and this New York Times article.