![]() Researchers also think accuracy could improve with repeat testing - analyzing and comparing multiple strands of a child’s hair. The test could be most useful in groups with a higher risk of autism, such as children who have missed developmental markers or have siblings with autism. “This provides a crucial piece of information, but not the only piece of information.” “No clinician should make a decision on if a child has autism solely based on this,” Arora said. That’s part of the reason the LinusBio team sees the tool as merely an aid to clinicians in reaching a diagnosis. The designation does not change approval standards, and the company faces regulatory hurdles before its device could be considered for widespread use in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration gave LinusBio’s test a “breakthrough” designation, which is intended to speed up the regulatory approval process for new technology when there aren’t alternatives on the market. “We have theories about what we might do,” Estes said, ”but it hasn’t been studied extensively.” Next steps, more data “You can really accelerate development in all kids.”īut little is known about what effect pre-symptomatic intervention might have for young kids at higher risk of autism. They’re trying things out and looking for feedback,” she said. These programs are implemented when symptoms emerge to address specific developmental needs, and often look like play. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends autism screenings at 18 months and 24 months.Įarly intervention for autism typically involves individualized instruction with a trusted teacher, according to Annette Estes, director of the University of Washington Autism Center in Seattle. Specialists use neurological examinations, language assessments, behavior observations and other methods to diagnose a child. But these behaviors vary widely, and autism can also occur alongside other conditions such as Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety and mood disorders. Rather, children are often diagnosed after parents notice behavioral differences, such as avoiding eye contact, delays in language or not pointing. There is not yet a biological test for autism spectrum disorder. By that time, so much brain development has already happened,” he said. “The problem with autism is it’s diagnosed at the age of 4 on average. Autism diagnosis timingĪrora and his team hope their technology could help young children, even newborns, receive early interventions for autism sooner than they can now. “We can detect the clear rhythm of autism with just about one centimeter of hair,” Arora said. That’s where a machine-learning algorithm takes over - it’s trained to look for patterns of dysregulation in metals that the researchers believe are biomarkers of autism. The technique creates huge amounts of data. “It’s almost like having a security camera where you can go back and get a look at four pictures a day,” Baccarelli said. LinusBio says its test can reveal metal metabolism in 4-6 hour increments. A centimeter - less than half an inch - of hair captures roughly a month’s worth of exposure data, Arora said.Īs a tree’s rings tell scientists about growing conditions each year, hair growth allows researchers to understand what was happening in someone’s body during specific moments in time. The test runs a laser along the length of a hair, using its energy to turn it into a plasma for analysis. The technology was developed from research completed at Mount Sinai.įor an infant, hair can provide a glimpse of the exposures in moments critical to development, like the third trimester of pregnancy. The LinusBio test analyzes the history of the metabolism, telling the story of what substances or toxins the child has been exposed to over time, according to Manish Arora, the company’s co-founder and CEO, who is also a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the academic arm of the Mount Sinai Health System. Scott Myers, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician at the Geisinger Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute, wrote in an email. “There is certainly much more work to be done before concluding that this test is a valid measure of autism spectrum disorder risk,” Dr. All agreed the findings should be replicated by other teams. Although many were excited about the potential of the underlying science, most said caution is warranted and that more research is needed. ![]() NBC News spoke to six independent experts from different scientific backgrounds about LinusBio’s test. ![]()
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