WASHINGTON — Very early treatment of children exhibiting signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder may lead to those children showing fewer symptoms later in life, according to a new study from the University of California – Davis MIND Institute.
The treatment studied is known as Infant Start, and it focused on treating infants as young as 6 months old who displayed autism symptoms such as lower eye contact and social engagement or repetitive movements. Parents were trained in delivering treatments and therapy.
“Most of the children in the study, six out of seven, caught up in all of their learning skills and their language by the time they were 2 to 3,” said UC Davis Professor Sally Rogers, who developed the therapy.
The study, published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, was co-authored by Rogers and UC Davis Professor Sally Ozonoff.
Most children are not diagnosed with autism until after their first birthday and often do not receive much intervention before age 3 or 4, despite symptoms being present earlier in life.
The small size of the study means follow-up studies are needed. Those are planned as soon as funding becomes available.
“It doesn’t prove that these children recovered from autism,” Rogers said to USA TODAY. However, “It’s a promise of a potential treatment for young children who have these symptoms.”
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