- Author:
Heejeong YOO
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Prodromal Symptoms; Early Medical Intervention
- MeSH: Autistic Disorder*; Brain; Child; Autism Spectrum Disorder*; Early Intervention (Education); Early Medical Intervention; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Infant; Joints; Nonverbal Communication; Prodromal Symptoms; Prospective Studies; Retrospective Studies
- From:Hanyang Medical Reviews 2016;36(1):4-10
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
- Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically identified in early toddlerhood. Both retrospective and prospective follow up studies of high risk infants reveal early risk signs of ASD at 12-24 months of age. The most frequently replicated early signs of ASD are atypical visual tracking and coordination, lack of social reciprocity, abnormal social communication and unusual patterns of manipulating objects, atypical sensory exploration, expressed as uncoordinated eye contact, unresponsiveness to naming, lack of social smile, delayed development of nonverbal communication and joint attention, less sharing interest, and unusually repetitive use of objects. Early intervention, before 2 years of age, appears to change the underlying developmental trajectories of the brain in individuals with ASD. In this review, the early risk signs of ASD in infancy and toddlerhood, along with early intervention and their implications, are discussed.