Sometimes it seems like Alex’s most obvious characteristic — or maybe it’s autism’s most obvious characteristic — is lack of focus. When he was just three or so, a neighbor watched him careen around her apartment examining things and wandering around without stopping. “My, he’s BUSY!” she observed. At the time I thought it was positive: he’s doing things, I thought, thinking about things, looking at things.
But he’s 11 now, and when the rest of us are sitting around watching a movie or eating dinner, Alex is still busy. Still wandering. Standing up in front of the TV blocking our …read more

Yesterday I posted about tracking eye movements as a way to test very children for autism — and then, later in the day, read about another possible marker for detecting autism in young children. University of Florida researchers Osnat and Philip Teitelbaum think that different patterns of movement in babies and toddlers may be indicators of autism, as noted in the Orlando Sentinel. The Teitelbaums spent five years viewing home videos of babies who were later diagnosed with autism.
Osnat and Philip Teitelbaum discovered some unmistakable patterns among autistic children. “I compare it to music,” says Philip Teitelbaum. “After you get …read more