PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — New research shows a promising new way to detect autism.
Autism is a range of neuro-developmental disorders. But a new study shows a common medical screening could diagnose it more quickly than ever before.
Looking inside the brain with a special MRI could soon help doctors detect autism.
“We’ll understand more and more what autism is,” said Dr. Nicholas Lange, a Harvard Researcher. He helped develop the first biological test that can detect the brain disorder in high-functioning patients with autism. Special MRI technology can measure differences in the wiring of the brain.
“We found six physical features of the brain’s wiring that could help distinguish individuals that had been previously diagnosed with autism with 94 percent accuracy,” said Dr. Lange.
Currently autism can be difficult to diagnose with observation and psychological testing, that can delay treatment and make the symptoms worse.
The hope with the new MRI discovers, which still needs more testing, is that autism will be diagnosed in babies, and could lead to better treatments for the disorder.
“We can learn what we can and can not change. all with the goal of helping people with autism,” said Dr. Lange.
These new findings are exciting for parents like Marty Martini, whose 22-year-old son is autistic.
“I think given the prevalence of autism, in today’s age, any test that could do early detection and drive effective treatment is a really good thing,” said Marty.
Large-scale studies are now being done, but experts hope the test will be available to patients within a few years. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is also researching the MRI based imaging to diagnose autism, and they are looking for volunteers.
Reported By: Stephanie Stahl, CBS 3