ReneeDunnlearned a hard lesson about autism. Fortunately, for the Baltimore grandmother, the lesson didnt come too late, as the professionals at the Kennedy Krieger Institute were able to help her two-year-old grandson, Marcus, in his battle against autism.
I was dumbfounded by it all, the only thing I knew about autism was the movie, Rain Man, Dunham said. Kennedy Krieger put us in a program called Jump Start because Marcus was non-verbal. But, it helped a lot and now hes verbal.
As the nation observes National Autism Awareness Month, Kennedy Krieger continues to seek new ways to treat those with an autism spectrum disorder.
Last year, Dr. Rebecca Landa, a study author and director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger presented a new study of six-month-old infants who were at high genetic risk for autism, identified weak head and neck control as a red flag for the disorder.
The study also looked at language and social developmental delays.
Landa concluded that a simple pull-to-sit task could be added to existing developmental screenings at pediatric well visits to improve early detection of developmental delays.
Research aimed at improving early detection of autism has largely focused on measurement of social and communication development, Landa said.
However, disruption in early motor development may also provide important clues about developmental disorders such as autism.
To that end, Dunham, who quit her job to become Marcuss full-time caregiver, has a message she said should resonate with everyone. Get checked as early as possible, she said. Go to Kennedy Krieger.
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Early detection key to treatment for autism