Signs of Autism May Show in Early Infancy

TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Signs of autism may show up in babies as young as 1 month old, a new study shows.

But the tip-offs are not the usual red flags, such as a lack of eye contact or smiling, the researchers noted.

Instead, they found babies who needed neonatal intensive care and were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder were more likely to have abnormal muscle tone and differences in their visual processing than babies who went on to develop normally after time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

The differences, which were subtle and probably not something parents would easily spot, were picked up by trained experts closely observing babies, said study co-author Ira Cohen, chair of the psychology department at the New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities.

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