How do you prevent autism in siblings of autistic children?
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08 Aug 2019, 9:34 am
Local Study Aims To Prevent Autism Through Early Intervention
Quote:
SOUTHBORO (CBS) – Siblings of children with autism have a one-in-five chance of developing autism as well. In a first-of-its-kind study in New England, a local researcher is screening babies soon after birth to see whether the very earliest intervention might help prevent autism in these at-risk children.
“I noticed that her language wasn’t increasing,” said school teacher Lauren Byron. She suspected her almost 2-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, had autism.
“Still, having somebody else assess your child and tell you that they’re on the autism spectrum was kind of devastating,” Byron told WBZ-TV.
When her second child, Finn, was diagnosed at 18 months, she said it wasn’t as much of a shock and services were already in place.
Mark and Lauren Byron’s two oldest children, Mackenzie and Finn, have autism, so they have enrolled 3-month-old Graeme in the Infant Sibling Project. (WBZ-TV)
“It definitely has its challenges – having two kids on the spectrum,” she explained. “But I think being a parent has its challenges, so we just stay positive and focus on the fact that our kids are healthy and happy.”
When Lauren and her husband, Mark, were expecting their third child, they knew he had a 20-percent chance of developing autism as well.
So they reached out to Dr. Becky MacDonald, a developmental psychologist and director of the Infant Sibling Project at The New England Center for Children in Southboro. Dr. MacDonald and her team are looking for the earliest markers of autism in very young babies and are replicating a Wisconsin study from 2017.
“What they found was that when they identified those markers and treated them right away, they could prevent a full onset of an autism diagnosis,” Dr. MacDonald said.
In her study, babies younger than 6 months with affected siblings undergo an assessment in their homes every other week until they’re at least 2 years old. Lauren’s third child, 3-month old Graeme, is one of those babies.
Dr. MacDonald looks for eye contact, tracking an object from side to side, turning their head to sounds (like the shake of a rattle), babbling and smiling.
Dr. Becky MacDonald assesses 3-month-old Graeme as part of the Infant Sibling Project. (WBZ-TV)
If red flags are found, treatment begins immediately.
“I feel as a parent it takes the pressure off of me of staring at him and waiting for the ball to drop,” Byron said.
So far, Graeme is doing great, but Byron said she’s prepared if he also develops autism.
“We just feel like if Graeme ends up being autistic, we know what that looks like,” she explained. “Me and Mark sometimes joke about if he’s not autistic, what is that going to look like for us…. For us, this is the world that we live in, and it’s a pretty happy world.”
The study is still recruiting pregnant women who have a child diagnosed with autism and babies up to 6 months of age with a sibling with autism.
“I noticed that her language wasn’t increasing,” said school teacher Lauren Byron. She suspected her almost 2-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, had autism.
“Still, having somebody else assess your child and tell you that they’re on the autism spectrum was kind of devastating,” Byron told WBZ-TV.
When her second child, Finn, was diagnosed at 18 months, she said it wasn’t as much of a shock and services were already in place.
Mark and Lauren Byron’s two oldest children, Mackenzie and Finn, have autism, so they have enrolled 3-month-old Graeme in the Infant Sibling Project. (WBZ-TV)
“It definitely has its challenges – having two kids on the spectrum,” she explained. “But I think being a parent has its challenges, so we just stay positive and focus on the fact that our kids are healthy and happy.”
When Lauren and her husband, Mark, were expecting their third child, they knew he had a 20-percent chance of developing autism as well.
So they reached out to Dr. Becky MacDonald, a developmental psychologist and director of the Infant Sibling Project at The New England Center for Children in Southboro. Dr. MacDonald and her team are looking for the earliest markers of autism in very young babies and are replicating a Wisconsin study from 2017.
“What they found was that when they identified those markers and treated them right away, they could prevent a full onset of an autism diagnosis,” Dr. MacDonald said.
In her study, babies younger than 6 months with affected siblings undergo an assessment in their homes every other week until they’re at least 2 years old. Lauren’s third child, 3-month old Graeme, is one of those babies.
Dr. MacDonald looks for eye contact, tracking an object from side to side, turning their head to sounds (like the shake of a rattle), babbling and smiling.
Dr. Becky MacDonald assesses 3-month-old Graeme as part of the Infant Sibling Project. (WBZ-TV)
If red flags are found, treatment begins immediately.
“I feel as a parent it takes the pressure off of me of staring at him and waiting for the ball to drop,” Byron said.
So far, Graeme is doing great, but Byron said she’s prepared if he also develops autism.
“We just feel like if Graeme ends up being autistic, we know what that looks like,” she explained. “Me and Mark sometimes joke about if he’s not autistic, what is that going to look like for us…. For us, this is the world that we live in, and it’s a pretty happy world.”
The study is still recruiting pregnant women who have a child diagnosed with autism and babies up to 6 months of age with a sibling with autism.
This raises some questions for me. First of all, how do you "prevent" autism in NT children? I thought autism develops in utero (basically, a child is born autistic). In addition, does early intervention truly prevent autism? I doubt it.
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Archmage Arcane
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ASPartOfMe
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10 Aug 2019, 4:56 am
Archmage Arcane wrote:
I wonder if the same people ever worry about how to keep a heterosexual person from turning gay? Just asking...
Same idea, the difference is you asked how to prevent a person from becoming gay you would be cyber stalked, fired, and run out of town but when your goal is to prevent a person from becoming autistic you are lauded.
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DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
It is Autism Acceptance Month
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
18 Aug 2019, 6:46 am
ASPartOfMe wrote:
Archmage Arcane wrote:
I wonder if the same people ever worry about how to keep a heterosexual person from turning gay? Just asking...
Same idea, the difference is you asked how to prevent a person from becoming gay you would be cyber stalked, fired, and run out of town but when your goal is to prevent a person from becoming autistic you are lauded.
The question did used to asked though, and in some places still is.
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18 Aug 2019, 6:51 am
warrier120 wrote:
Local Study Aims To Prevent Autism Through Early Intervention
This raises some questions for me. First of all, how do you "prevent" autism in NT children? I thought autism develops in utero (basically, a child is born autistic). In addition, does early intervention truly prevent autism? I doubt it.
Quote:
SOUTHBORO (CBS) – Siblings of children with autism have a one-in-five chance of developing autism as well. In a first-of-its-kind study in New England, a local researcher is screening babies soon after birth to see whether the very earliest intervention might help prevent autism in these at-risk children.
“I noticed that her language wasn’t increasing,” said school teacher Lauren Byron. She suspected her almost 2-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, had autism.
“Still, having somebody else assess your child and tell you that they’re on the autism spectrum was kind of devastating,” Byron told WBZ-TV.
When her second child, Finn, was diagnosed at 18 months, she said it wasn’t as much of a shock and services were already in place.
Mark and Lauren Byron’s two oldest children, Mackenzie and Finn, have autism, so they have enrolled 3-month-old Graeme in the Infant Sibling Project. (WBZ-TV)
“It definitely has its challenges – having two kids on the spectrum,” she explained. “But I think being a parent has its challenges, so we just stay positive and focus on the fact that our kids are healthy and happy.”
When Lauren and her husband, Mark, were expecting their third child, they knew he had a 20-percent chance of developing autism as well.
So they reached out to Dr. Becky MacDonald, a developmental psychologist and director of the Infant Sibling Project at The New England Center for Children in Southboro. Dr. MacDonald and her team are looking for the earliest markers of autism in very young babies and are replicating a Wisconsin study from 2017.
“What they found was that when they identified those markers and treated them right away, they could prevent a full onset of an autism diagnosis,” Dr. MacDonald said.
In her study, babies younger than 6 months with affected siblings undergo an assessment in their homes every other week until they’re at least 2 years old. Lauren’s third child, 3-month old Graeme, is one of those babies.
Dr. MacDonald looks for eye contact, tracking an object from side to side, turning their head to sounds (like the shake of a rattle), babbling and smiling.
Dr. Becky MacDonald assesses 3-month-old Graeme as part of the Infant Sibling Project. (WBZ-TV)
If red flags are found, treatment begins immediately.
“I feel as a parent it takes the pressure off of me of staring at him and waiting for the ball to drop,” Byron said.
So far, Graeme is doing great, but Byron said she’s prepared if he also develops autism.
“We just feel like if Graeme ends up being autistic, we know what that looks like,” she explained. “Me and Mark sometimes joke about if he’s not autistic, what is that going to look like for us…. For us, this is the world that we live in, and it’s a pretty happy world.”
The study is still recruiting pregnant women who have a child diagnosed with autism and babies up to 6 months of age with a sibling with autism.
“I noticed that her language wasn’t increasing,” said school teacher Lauren Byron. She suspected her almost 2-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, had autism.
“Still, having somebody else assess your child and tell you that they’re on the autism spectrum was kind of devastating,” Byron told WBZ-TV.
When her second child, Finn, was diagnosed at 18 months, she said it wasn’t as much of a shock and services were already in place.
Mark and Lauren Byron’s two oldest children, Mackenzie and Finn, have autism, so they have enrolled 3-month-old Graeme in the Infant Sibling Project. (WBZ-TV)
“It definitely has its challenges – having two kids on the spectrum,” she explained. “But I think being a parent has its challenges, so we just stay positive and focus on the fact that our kids are healthy and happy.”
When Lauren and her husband, Mark, were expecting their third child, they knew he had a 20-percent chance of developing autism as well.
So they reached out to Dr. Becky MacDonald, a developmental psychologist and director of the Infant Sibling Project at The New England Center for Children in Southboro. Dr. MacDonald and her team are looking for the earliest markers of autism in very young babies and are replicating a Wisconsin study from 2017.
“What they found was that when they identified those markers and treated them right away, they could prevent a full onset of an autism diagnosis,” Dr. MacDonald said.
In her study, babies younger than 6 months with affected siblings undergo an assessment in their homes every other week until they’re at least 2 years old. Lauren’s third child, 3-month old Graeme, is one of those babies.
Dr. MacDonald looks for eye contact, tracking an object from side to side, turning their head to sounds (like the shake of a rattle), babbling and smiling.
Dr. Becky MacDonald assesses 3-month-old Graeme as part of the Infant Sibling Project. (WBZ-TV)
If red flags are found, treatment begins immediately.
“I feel as a parent it takes the pressure off of me of staring at him and waiting for the ball to drop,” Byron said.
So far, Graeme is doing great, but Byron said she’s prepared if he also develops autism.
“We just feel like if Graeme ends up being autistic, we know what that looks like,” she explained. “Me and Mark sometimes joke about if he’s not autistic, what is that going to look like for us…. For us, this is the world that we live in, and it’s a pretty happy world.”
The study is still recruiting pregnant women who have a child diagnosed with autism and babies up to 6 months of age with a sibling with autism.
This raises some questions for me. First of all, how do you "prevent" autism in NT children? I thought autism develops in utero (basically, a child is born autistic). In addition, does early intervention truly prevent autism? I doubt it.
The wording 'developing autism' feels all wrong. And what were the interventions. I think they are confusing autism with some of the signs used to distinguish autism in very young children. Possibly they are seeing autism where it wasn't or the intervention works as a early brain washing.
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18 Aug 2019, 7:25 am
Preventing autism... through early intervention...
Seems like snake oil for sale to parents that don't know any better. Though one would hope that after autistic child no2 this couple would have learned at least some of the essentials. They also seemed educated...
Is it a delusion they are prescribed to? Being autistic really isn't a horror story...
What's happening to autistic kiddos... conditioning from infancy to avoid the ASD diagnosis...
I wouldn't have the same problem with this mindset if it gave younger ASD generations access to a stable and full independent life... Relationships, employment, self care, the real things ASD adults actually struggle with for life.
That doesn't seem to me to be the outcome though, younger people seem even more dependent for basic living needs, while their quality of life to me seems of a limited and lower standard than mine was with no intervention.
I think we are doing our ASD youth a disservice, they have become Guinea pigs and imo through these questionable interventions are becoming othered from birth in a disabling way.
I could at least escape, I had those life skills and wouldn't change one thing from my past if it meant never gaining those skills.
18 Aug 2019, 9:19 am
In truth, it can be very difficult for all concerned for the patents of children (and the children themselves) with severe, nonverbal autism.
Autism comes with many “presentations.” The range is from a person who must wear a helmet to prevent him/herself from self-abuse, while being nonverbal and non responsive—to a person who is a nuclear physicist, say, who has trouble socially and some sensory issues.
Early intervention can actually be quite effective.
What these parents have to watch out for is a snake oil salesman promoting various one-shot “autism treatments.”
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