(AP)  No one is exactly sure what causes autism, but scientists may have found a way to spot the disorder in young children even earlier than before. A new study, out Friday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that children who develop autism have abnormalities on brain scans that can be detected long before obvious symptoms advanceSOMETHING HERE. CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook reported that children with autism are rarely diagnosed before the age of two, but scientists have long wondered if problems in the brain may start earlier. The study followed 92 infants from six months old until they were 2. All were high risk because their siblings had autism. Twenty-eight of them were eventually diagnosed with the disorder. When looking back at their brain scans, scientists noticed differences. A special type of MRI scan shows developed nerve connections of a normal brain. When compared to a scan of a brain of an infant with autism, the pattern is significantly different. "During infancy, it's a time when an infant is organizing their brain, the wiring is rapidly developing," said Dr. Joseph Piven, who led the study. "We were able to detect changes in that wiring or … Continue reading →

(AP)  No one is exactly sure what causes autism, but scientists may have found a way to spot the disorder in young children even earlier than before. A new study, out Friday in the American Journal of Psychiatry, found that children who develop autism have abnormalities on brain scans that can be detected long before obvious symptoms advanceSOMETHING HERE. CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook reported that children with autism are rarely diagnosed before the age of two, but scientists have long wondered if problems in the brain may start earlier. The study followed 92 infants from six months old until they were 2. All were high risk because their siblings had autism. Twenty-eight of them were eventually diagnosed with the disorder. When looking back at their brain scans, scientists noticed differences. A special type of MRI scan shows developed nerve connections of a normal brain. When compared to a scan of a brain of an infant with autism, the pattern is significantly different. "During infancy, it's a time when an infant is organizing their brain, the wiring is rapidly developing," said Dr. Joseph Piven, who led the study. "We were able to detect changes in that wiring or … Continue reading →

First published Feb 17 2012 06:33PM Updated 6 hours ago Updated Feb 17, 2012 10:38PM HB272 • A bill to fund treatment for approximately 750 young children with autism moved forward Friday after being approved by the House Health and Human Services Committee. The bill has been refined to focus on children between the ages of 2 and 6 with up to 500 children on Medicaid, several hundred who are not on Medicaid (and may be privately insured) and several dozen who are on the Public Employees’ Benefit and Insurance Program. Elected officials are in negotiation with insurance companies about the possibility of contributing to funding. Rep. Ronda Rudd Menlove, R-Garland, the sponsor of HB272, has asked for $6 million in Medicaid dollars. “Even at 750 we still would be missing some children,” she said, noting that Utah’s population of autistic children is more than 2,000. Laura Anderson, with the Autism Council of Utah, said her group supported this latest compromise, emphasizing that treatment for young children has been proven to work. Without it, “we are creating a generation of children who will need services far beyond public education,” she said. Julia Lyon See the rest here: Autism bill could … Continue reading →