According to a press release from the Children's Hospital of Phildelphia, researchers have made discoveries about how autistic kids process sound and language that may lead to the development of diagnostic tests that can more consistently pinpoint an autism spectrum diagnosis.
Using MEG (magnetoencephalography) the research team conducted scans while autistic children were presented with sounds, words and sentences. The results of the scans, which are non-invasive, though the helmet-like structure that must be used for the scans is massive and could be scary-looking for many children (see picture in the CHOP press release), show delays in brain responses to auditory input.
The press release reports that these delays are fractions of a second long: an average of about 11 milliseconds across the group of children who were studied. While this may not seem like a long time, the release describes the delay as "... a child with ASD, on hearing the word 'elephant' is still processing the 'el' sound while other children have moved on."
How can this help with diagnosing autism? Children with speech delays or who are exhibiting other signs of autism including behavior quirks could be tested for similar delayed response times to sounds and language. While not a stand-alone diagnostic tool, the MEG scans could be a part of a series of concrete tests with clear, quantitative values that help to firm up a diagnosis in addition to the current modes of diagnosis which are subjective and rely on observation and evaluation.
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