As a result, these diagnoses were all combined into Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research suggested that these labels reflected a common set of symptoms of varying quality or severity rather than distinct conditions. Before 2013, there were several different disorders under the same diagnostic “umbrella” – Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome/Asperger’s, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). In 2013, the criteria used to diagnose autism changed. Technically in today’s clinical practice, there is not much of a difference between these terms. Less targeted assessment may not provide detailed investigation necessary to identify subtler, but still interfering and distressing, symptoms of autism. Professionals without training and experience working with neurodiverse populations may miss mild, subtle, or atypical symptoms. For some children and teens, weaknesses in communication and social skills may only become noticeable as social demands increase, starting in middle school and beyond. Additionally, our psychologists are skilled in identifying children and teens with mild symptoms of ASD, whose deficits may be missed due to compensatory behaviors (i.e., “masking”). Research supports reliable diagnosis as early as 18 months of age we have expertise in identifying very early signs of ASD, leading to earlier treatment and better social-communication outcomes. There is no lab test or medical diagnostic that can identify ASD. We feel confident in our ability to identify ASD symptoms in these populations, enabling proper diagnosis and appropriate subsequent intervention. Additionally, neurodiversity among girls, women, and people of color has frequently been overlooked or misdiagnosed. Because there is significant symptom overlap in ASD and other disorders, this expertise is critical for accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment recommendations. We have expertise in identifying ASD and co-occurring conditions, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and ADHD. Davie, “it is important that it is not adopted with too much enthusiasm.” He cautions that applying the test to a large population may produce a large number of false positives, causing unnecessary worry.There are a number of benefits of choosing ASD-specific evaluation over other types of testing: ► More cost-effective ► Fewer appointments or hours of testing ► Greater focus on autism-specific symptoms ► Resources and recommendations specific to ASD Our evaluators have extensive experience working with people on the spectrum of all ages and presentations. “While we applaud the arrival of this interesting area of research,” says Dr. He adds, “The analysis was derived from children whose ages averaged 7–8, so there is no data to indicate that very young children will have the same metabolic pattern and that the results found would be reproducible in infants.” has expressed skepticism about such a test, saying, “This is a promising area, however this is a very long way indeed from a ‘test for autism.'” Max Davie - an assistant officer for health promotion at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in the U.K. “This may help us improve the diagnosis of ASD,” she adds, “and point the way to new causes of ASD.”īut Dr. “With further testing we may reveal specific plasma and urinary profiles or ‘fingerprints’ of compounds with damaging modifications.” We hope the tests will also reveal new causative factors.” Rabbani comments on the significance of the findings, saying, “Our discovery could lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention. Will the test lead to earlier ASD diagnosis?ĭr. Sensitivity refers to the ability of a medical test to accurately identify people who have a disease. Rabbani and colleagues then fed this information into a computer algorithm, which resulted in a diagnostic test with 92 percent sensitivity. Of the several blood and urine tests that the scientists developed, the most accurate one found that children with ASD had higher levels of a compound called dityrosine and another class of compounds called advanced glycation end-products (AGEs).ĭityrosine is a marker of oxidation damage, and AGEs are the result of glycation, which is a process wherein sugars combine with amino acids, the “building blocks of proteins.”ĭr. Specifically, the scientists found an association between ASD and damage to some proteins found in the blood’s plasma, or the fluid that carries white and red blood cells. The researchers found chemical differences between children with ASD and neurotypical children - that is, children without ASD. Rabbani and her team collected and analyzed blood and urine samples from 38 children aged between 5 and 12 who had been diagnosed with ASD, as well as from 31 children who had not.
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