Research that helps us better understand who needs autism support
01 February 2012
Two interesting pieces of research on autism were released in
the past week, and hopefully they will help more people with autism
to get the right support more quickly. Firstly, a new report,
'Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Adults:
Extending the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey', by
researchers at the University of Leicester and published by the NHS
Information Centre, found a much higher prevalence of autism in adults with a
severe learning disability than had been previously thought.
This group were also previously 'invisible' to services because
they were cared for at home by relatives. In addition, research
published in the journal Current Biology found that autism could be detected in babies. Currently,
children with autism are usually diagnosed in early childhood, but
researchers found that babies who go on to develop autism show
different brain responses when someone looks at them or away from
them in the first year of life. While the researchers were keen to
point out that further research is needed and that the method used
is not always accurate - some babies who showed different brain
responses did not go on to develop autism - it does give hope that
earlier diagnoses of autism may be possible in the future. Both
these reports improve our understanding of the condition and should
help to identify more people with autism. This can only be a good
thing; the earlier someone is identified with a condition on the
autism spectrum the better, because then they can get the
appropriate interventions that can help them to realise their full
potential. Reports like these should also help commissioners of
services, who will be better able to judge - and plan for - the
right level of autism-related provision . While more research needs
to be conducted - especially in regard to the condition in babies -
it shows that our understanding of autism is growing, and as a
result, diagnosis, treatment and, most importantly, the lives of
people with autism, should all see real improvement.
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