The causes of autism are still unclear, but evidence is building
that early intervention — before age 1 — may help mitigate or
even prevent the developmental disorder from occurring in the
first place. Making such early treatment more possible,
researchers now report a promising new way of detecting autism
in infants as young as 14 months. Neuroscientist Karen Pierce,
director of clinical research at the University of San Diego’s
(UCSD) Autism Center of Excellence, found that autism can be
predicted by identifying young babies who have a preference for
repetitive geometric patterns. Pierce and her team studied 110
babies — some showed signs of autism spectrum disorders, some
exhibited symptoms of other developmental abnormalities, and
about half were developing normally. Babies sat on a parent’s
lap and were presented with two 1-min. videos, played side by
side. One video showed children stretching or dancing in a yoga
class, while the other showed abstract geometric shapes changing
in a repetitive pattern. A