Early test to detect autism

Friday 27 January 2012 01:00 GMT

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Autism can be detected in six-month-old babies by measuring their brain activity, say scientists.

Researchers at Birkbeck College, University of London, found the test could help identify infants most at risk of developing the disorder later.

The study, in the journal Current Biology, suggests an "autistic brain" processes social information differently right from the start of life. Currently, autism is not officially diagnosed until after the age of two.

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