Some infant siblings of children with autism
initially behave like children with the disorder, but show improvements in their
social skills around 9 months of age. The unpublished research, presented
yesterday at the 2014
International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta, suggests that
these children possess a “resilience” that keeps them from developing autism.
Klin and his colleagues discovered this intriguing finding when following up
on the results of an eye-tracking
study published in November. The study made a splash in the popular media,
reporting that baby boys later diagnosed with autism lose
interest in others’ eyes between 2 and 6 months of age.
The study assessed 11 baby sibs who developed autism and 25 typically
developing controls ten times from 2 to 24 months of age. To measure early
symptoms of autism, the researchers outfitted the infants with an eye-tracking
device and noted how often they looked at the eyes of a friendly woman in a
recorded video.
At the meeting yesterday, Klin reported analysis from a few more children. As they grew up, 29 typically developing infants looked at the woman’s eyes the same amount or more, he said. By contrast, 13 infants who were eventually diagnosed with autism focused on the eyes less and less with age.
This drop in eye contact may relate to when babies stop looking at eyes reflexively and start actively seeking them out as a form of communication, says Klin.
Klin also reported new findings from 28 baby sibs who do not have autism. Ten of these siblings have some symptoms of autism, however — a condition called the broad autism phenotype (BAP).
Of the 28 siblings, 16 have eye-tracking patterns that are nearly indistinguishable from those of controls. All but one of these siblings show no signs of autism.
The other 12 siblings showed a decline in eye contact in the first six months of life, similar to the infants who went on to be diagnosed with autism; 9 of these 12 siblings have BAP.
The findings suggest that these 12 siblings started off on a course toward autism, but at some point switched trajectories and started to improve, says Klin.
At the meeting yesterday, Klin reported analysis from a few more children. As they grew up, 29 typically developing infants looked at the woman’s eyes the same amount or more, he said. By contrast, 13 infants who were eventually diagnosed with autism focused on the eyes less and less with age.
This drop in eye contact may relate to when babies stop looking at eyes reflexively and start actively seeking them out as a form of communication, says Klin.
Klin also reported new findings from 28 baby sibs who do not have autism. Ten of these siblings have some symptoms of autism, however — a condition called the broad autism phenotype (BAP).
Of the 28 siblings, 16 have eye-tracking patterns that are nearly indistinguishable from those of controls. All but one of these siblings show no signs of autism.
The other 12 siblings showed a decline in eye contact in the first six months of life, similar to the infants who went on to be diagnosed with autism; 9 of these 12 siblings have BAP.
The findings suggest that these 12 siblings started off on a course toward autism, but at some point switched trajectories and started to improve, says Klin.
