A research group at Shinshu University School of Medicine found that many children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders by the age of school had been pointed out that their motor skills and social communication skills were impaired at a one-and-a-half-year-old medical examination. It was clarified that the semi-medical examination is effective for the early diagnosis of developmental disorders.
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders, a type of developmental disorder, has increased worldwide in recent years, with a 2014 US survey reporting a prevalence of 8% in 1.68-year-olds.Early detection and early intervention are important for improving prognosis, but general screening tools make diagnosis difficult under the age of two.
On the other hand, in Okaya City, Nagano Prefecture, a public health nurse carefully screens each child during a one-and-a-half-year-old medical examination, and the suspected child can be referred to the Shinano Medical Welfare Center for early detection of autism spectrum disorder. I am trying to.Therefore, in this study, with the cooperation of Okaya City and Shinano Medical Welfare Center, we investigated the cumulative incidence and risk factors of autism spectrum disorders in the city.
As a result, of all 2009 infants born between 2011 and 1 who underwent a one-and-a-half-year-old medical examination in the city, 1,067 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by the time they entered school, with a cumulative incidence of 33. %was.This value is said to be the highest in the research reports so far, and it is suggested that a highly sensitive diagnosis can be made by establishing a careful screening system in a one-and-a-half-year-old medical examination.
It was also found that children who were later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders tended to have lower fine and gross motor skills and social communication skills at the time of the one-and-a-half-year-old medical examination.In other words, it was shown that children with autism spectrum disorders may already be delayed in their development at the age of one and a half years, and these may be factors for early prediction of autism spectrum disorders.
This result is expected to lead to the development of an early diagnosis system for autism spectrum disorder utilizing infant medical examination.