For the study, researchers recruited 184 children who were considered at a
high-risk for developing the disorder and 59 children who carried an average
risk for the health issue. High-risk children had an older sibling dealing with
an ASD.
At 12 and 24-months-old, children's parents filled out a questionnaire based on repetitive behaviors, including rocking back and forth, flapping of the limbs and obsessiveness over a toy. These behaviors formed in infancy are typically normal, if done in small amounts.
However, the researchers discovered a 42 percent increased risk for children who showed more signs of repetitive behaviors, particularly at the age of one. Researchers looked for four to eight varying signs in those who were diagnosed with ASDs at one. For those without the condition but repetitive behaviors, one to two signs were common.
"But in typically developing children...[the repetitive behavior] usually peaks around the age of 6 months," said lead researcher Jason Wolff, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, via WebMD. "In children who go on to develop autism, repetitive behavior is still highly prevalent, or even increasing, at the age of 12 months."
Source.
At 12 and 24-months-old, children's parents filled out a questionnaire based on repetitive behaviors, including rocking back and forth, flapping of the limbs and obsessiveness over a toy. These behaviors formed in infancy are typically normal, if done in small amounts.
However, the researchers discovered a 42 percent increased risk for children who showed more signs of repetitive behaviors, particularly at the age of one. Researchers looked for four to eight varying signs in those who were diagnosed with ASDs at one. For those without the condition but repetitive behaviors, one to two signs were common.
"But in typically developing children...[the repetitive behavior] usually peaks around the age of 6 months," said lead researcher Jason Wolff, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, via WebMD. "In children who go on to develop autism, repetitive behavior is still highly prevalent, or even increasing, at the age of 12 months."
Source.
