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Medical copays reduce health care access in MS prisons; Israel planted explosives in pagers sold to Hezbollah according to official sources; Serving looks with books: Libraries fight 'fast fashion' by lending clothes; Menhaden decline threatens Virginia's ecosystem, fisheries.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

IL Research: Autism Diagnosis Possible as Early as Age 2

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Monday, March 31, 2014   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - New research out of Illinois suggests that autism can be identified earlier than previously thought, in children as young as age two years. A study headed by Dr. Laurie Jeans as a University of Illinois graduate student found a number of behavioral and developmental deficits present in children at age two, that were predictive of an autism spectrum diagnosis by age four. According to Jeans, now an assistant professor at St. Ambrose University, children with autism spectrum disorder tend to score much lower than their peers in areas of speech, motor skills, and social interaction at age two.

"The ability to point at the light switches and point at things that you see, and that joint attention piece" is lacking in such children, she said. "If that's not present and we're waiting until three to make that diagnosis, then you're looking back and saying, 'Oh man, what else could we have done?'"

The data suggest children who were later diagnosed with ASD had sleep disturbances, were more prone to ear infections and had struggled with self-regulation. New estimates from the CDC say the number of children with autism in the U.S. has jumped to one in 68, a 30 percent increase from two years ago.

Nationally, the average age for a child to be diagnosed with autism is three or four. But Jeans said that waiting until then means families might be missing out on interventions that could help minimize or prevent some of the symptoms or behaviors associated with autism, putting kids at risk for social and academic problems.

"We know that the brain's plasticity in these early years, the intensive services that we can provide early on can kind of change their trajectory, so they have some better outcomes once they get into school," the doctor said.

The study tracked the development of 100 children with ASD, comparing them to typically-developing children and peers with disabilities. And it's unique because it followed children's development as it was occurring, instead of relying on parents' ability to recall details long afterward. The study is published in the Journal of Early Intervention.

See the study at jei.sagepub.com.






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