“These devices can be programmed to monitor where the child is, or whether the child has said anything, and then to say something appropriate. In other cases, the robot head will spout things randomly. Prof. Scassellati said that with three year olds, nonautistic children will continue to interact with a robot that is responding appropriately, but will quickly tire of one that isn’t. Autisti. . .

“These devices can be programmed to monitor where the child is, or whether the child has said anything, and then to say something appropriate. In other cases, the robot head will spout things randomly. Prof. Scassellati said that with three year olds, nonautistic children will continue to interact with a robot that is responding appropriately, but will quickly tire of one that isn’t. Autistic children, however, show no such preference, and will be equally fascinated by each.” Link to article

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Autism’s sharp rise is, in large part, a matter of definitions. Is a child with severe learning problems autistic? What about a child who is insensitive in social situations? What about children who have trouble communicating or seem to retreat into their own shells? These days a large number of children who fit any of those descriptions are likely to be tagged with the autism label, or their parents will be told that they have a disorder (like Asperger’s syndrome) that falls somewhere in the autism spectrum.

This looseness of definition is getting in the way of medical progress.

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The study, which appears in the International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, states that certain traits like not smiling in response to the smiles of others or not responding when one’s name is called are some of the indications that can tell whether a child will develop autism later in life.
Behavioral traits in kids can predict autism
Washington | April 30, 2005 3:21:25 PM IST

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“The sooner the diagnosis, the better outcome you are going to have,” said Lewes pediatrician Dr. Jay Ludwicki.

He said parents should rely on children’s well checks to diagnose symptoms, which generally present themselves by 15 and 18 months and as early as 12 months. Those symptoms can range depending on the degree of the neurological disorder, which affects the functioning of the brain.

Click to continue reading this article from delmarvanow.com

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Sarah Beard, 5 years old: “Myself is something who is the personality, and I am a special person of ‘anality.’”

Sarah was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, at two. Mom Colleen says that early diagnosis changed her little girl.

Colleen Beard, Sarah’s mom: “The amount of progress she has made — she’s a different girl today than she was 14 months ago.”

Autism expert Catherine Lord says early diagnosis leads to life-changing interventions.

Catherine Lord, Ph.D., psychologist: “It’s been truly wonderful to see how many things people with autism can do and things that we would not have probably dreamed about 20 or 30 years ago.”

Therapy focuses on completion of tasks and social interaction. Experts believed half of autistic kids would never speak. With early intervention, Dr. Lord found only 14 percent won’t.

Dr. Lord: “It’s not what you have done in a day, but what you know, it leads into something that is really going to change children’s lives.”

Sarah remembers how she used to behave.

Sarah: “It feels like I screamed a lot.”

But she doesn’t dwell on it.

Sarah: “No, I’m not afraid anymore.”

And this year she even let her family sing her happy birthday.

Asperger’s Syndrome is often called high-functioning autism. Early intervention with these children may often show more results than with standard autistic kids. But experts say, the important point for any autistic children is early diagnosis and then targeted intervention specifically designed for each kid’s unique needs.

Doctors used to believe autism could not be accurately diagnosed until the child was four or five years old. Now research shows children can reliably be diagnosed as young as two, which, according to her, is the key to successful treatment.

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