This story also says that early diagnosis makes it possible to do interventions with  babies showing these the five warning signs—which can make a real difference in their outcomes. Interventions focus on teaching kids basic interaction and communication skills, the full story says.

Early intervention always is better in child development.

The five behaviors which serve to predict a diagnosis of autism (autism spectrum disorder) are:

1. “Lack of response to others’ attempts to engage them in play.”

2. “Infrequent attempts to initiate joint activities.”

3. “Few types of consonants produce when trying to communicate verbally.”

4. “Problems in responding to vocal requests.”

5. “Keen interest in repetitive tasks.”

This research was conducted at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Md., by psychologist Rebecca Landa.

Wired

“Some infants headed for a diagnosis of autism, or autism spectrum disorder as it’s officially known, can be reliably identified at 14 months old based on the presence of five key behavior problems, according to an ongoing long-term study described March 11 at the International Conference on Infant Studies. (Emphasis added)

“These social, communication and motor difficulties broadly align with psychiatric criteria for diagnosing autism spectrum disorder in children at around age 3, said psychologist Rebecca Landa of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. In her investigation, the presence of all five behaviors at 14 months predicted an eventual diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in 15 of 16 children.

“That’s much better than clinical judgment at predicting autism,” Landa noted.

“Her five predictors of autism spectrum disorders among 14-month-olds at high risk for developing this condition include a lack of response to others’ attempts to engage them in play, infrequent attempts to initiate joint activities, few types of consonants produced when trying to communicate vocally, problems in responding to vocal requests and a keen interest in repetitive acts, such as staring at a toy while twirling it.” (Emphasis added)

Source: Wired/Science News, Online, March 12, 2010