Does Your Baby Have Autism? (Detecting the Earliest Signs of Autism)

For many years, the diagnosis ofautism has centered on a child's social interaction—from poor eye contact tolack of language skills. Although the autism community agrees that earlyintervention is key to effective treatment, the telltale signs of this disorderusually don't reveal themselves until the age of two or three. But what if itwere possible to detect the potential for autism within the first year of life?That is the basis of Osnat and Philip Teitelbaum's book, Does Your Baby Have Autism?
This dedicated wife-and-husband team has worked for nearly two decades to develop ways of detecting signs of potential autism or Asperger's syndrome by examining a child's early motor development. By studying the patterns of righting, sitting, crawling, and walking in typical infants, and comparing them with those of children who were later diagnosed with autism, the authors have been able to pinpoint movement patterns that appear to be the precursors of autism and Asperger's.

Does Your Baby Have Autism? first provides general information aboutthe history of autism, followed by a discussion of The Ladder of MotorDevelopment. Each of four chapters then examines one motor milestone--righting,sitting, crawling, or walking--contrasting typical development with atypicaldevelopment so that it's easy to recognize unusual patterns of movement. Also included is a unique thirty-second Tilt Test--easy toperform at home--which helps reveal a balance problem characteristic ofchildren with autism. Finally, parentsare guided in finding professional help for a child whose motor skills mayindicate a problem.

There is a way to detect signs of autism early in a child's life, when therapy can do the most good. Does Your Baby Have Autism? holds the key to a brighter future for children and their families.