Non-invasive eye-scan could help identify autism

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A non-invasive eye-scan that detects subtle electrical signals in the retina could help identify autism in children years earlier than currently possible.

The scan utilises a hand-held device to find a pattern of electrical signals that are different in children on the autism spectrum, which are directly linked to differences in their brain development.

Synapse-mapping chip gives new picture of brain activity

The scan was tested on about 180 people with and without autism between the ages of 5 and 21 in collaboration with Yale University in the US, University College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital in the UK, as part of a study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

These potential biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could allow for early detection of other disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Dr Paul Constable, a senior lecturer at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Flinders University, Australia, has been searching for an autism biomarker since 2006, in an effort to improve early detection and intervention methods after his own child was diagnosed.

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