An attempt at redefining autism

 
On 26 March, Ami Klin presented data from two studies measuring social adaptive behaviors — highly conserved and early-emerging mechanisms of socialization — in infants and toddlers.

His talk was part of the Simons Foundation Autism Research lecture series. You can watch a complete video recording of the event above.
 

About the Lecture

Advances in molecular genetics have implicated a number of genetic variants in autism, yet understanding of how these variants contribute to the disorder is limited. Autism is among the most reliably diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders, but symptoms used to define autism are likely to be outcomes of disruptions much earlier in development. Klin’s findings might allow researchers to detect underlying characteristics associated with autism before the current average age of diagnosis.