A simple eye test may help identify ASD

[Marco]

Just the standard penlight pupillary reflex test.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/easy-sc...t-reflex-test-common-eye-exams-detects-357290

Sounds better than months or years of interviews and pyschological/cognitive testing.

 

[lansbergen]

In the old days GP's did that routinely.

 

[Sidereal]

In 70 percent of the trials, the pupils of kids with autism took markedly longer to constrict.

The researchers say their findings bolster a growing body of evidence showing that the pupils of children with autism constrict more slowly to flashes of light. Lynch and her colleagues chose a pupil dilation reflex test because it can identify increased cerebrospinal fluid pressure, which brain scans have revealed to be symptomatic of autism. Taking their experiment one step further, Lynch and her colleagues also measured cranial nerves and ocular motility for evidence of neural misfiring occurring in the brainstem.

Such an abnormality would help explain why children with autism find it difficult to make eye contact and are highly sensitive to bright lights, Lynch explained. Once validated by larger studies, this pupil reflex test could be routinely performed early in every child’s life to screen for autism.

Interesting.

 

[Sidereal]

On the other hand, when you click on the most read story on this website (Selena Gomez lupus diagnosis), it says that 8% of the population have lupus (lol) so we should probably look at the original paper first to see if this autism stuff is reported even remotely accurately.

 

[Marco]

On the other hand, when you click on the most read story on this website (Selena Gomez lupus diagnosis), it says that 8% of the population have lupus (lol) so we should probably look at the original paper first to see if this autism stuff is reported even remotely accurately.

Thanks. I thought the site looked pretty respectable but the same story is being reported widely in the UK press with essentially the same content.

 

[barbc56]

The reason a physician tests how your eyes react to light is that it may be indicative of neurological/other health problems. Such a test can be used for screening but not for a definitive diagnosis.

When I screened birth to three children, we'd sometimes see subtle signs, in infants who were later diagnosed with ASD. But a child won't be diagnosed until older when more behaviors such as language development become apparent.

Sometimes the "subtle signs" turned out to mean nothing or resolved.

Barb