Doctors can use these symptoms, which can be detected during a routine scan, to assess the likelihood that the baby will be born with ASD.

According to a new study conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka Medical Center, a normal prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester can detect early symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Brain by researchers from the Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research.

The researchers looked at data from hundreds of prenatal ultrasound scans taken during a mid-gestation fetal anatomy assessment.

They discovered heart, kidney, and head defects in 30% of babies who later developed ASD, a rate three times higher than in typically developing fetuses in the general population and twice as high as their typically developing siblings.

Abnormalities were found in girls more frequently than in boys, and the severity of the anomalies was associated to the severity of ASD later on.

Prof. Idan Menashe, a member of the Faculty of Health Sciences’ Centre and Department of Public Health, led the study with his MD/PhD student Ohad Regev.

“Doctors can use these signs, discernable during a routine ultrasound, to evaluate the probability of the child being born with ASD,” said Prof. Menashe, “Previous studies have shown that children born with congenital diseases, primarily those involving the heart and kidneys, had a higher chance of developing ASD. Our findings suggest that certain types of ASD that involve other organ anomalies, begin and can be detected in utero.”

Early diagnosis and treatment enhanced social ability by three times in a prior study conducted by the Centre. Prenatal diagnosis could mean that therapy can begin as soon as the baby is born, rather than waiting until the child is two or three years old, or even later.

Source: 10.1093/brain/awac008

Image Credit: Getty

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