US Doctor Group Urges Autism Testing for All Babies (2/2)

Parents could answer a list of written questions about their baby. Then the doctor could perform tests as simple as observing the baby's ability to follow a moving object with its eyes. Experts say failing to watch a moving object may be a sign of autism.

Doctors and parents can also look for behaviors that are normal in babies under one year of age. For example, does the baby appear to respond to a parent's voice? Does the baby make eye contact? Does the baby wave or point at things?

Young children usually have a favorite soft object like a stuffed animal or a blanket. But children with autism may like hard objects instead, and want to hold them at all times. They may not turn when a parent says their name or when the parent points at something and says "Look at that."

Doctor Johnson says the goal of the new advice is early intervention instead of the traditional "wait and see" method to identify autism. The second report from the American Academy of Pediatrics deals with management of autism cases. We will discuss that next week.

参考译文：

父母可以回答一份关于其孩子的问卷调查。医生可以做一些像观察婴儿眼睛跟随运动物体能力这样简单的试验。专家说无法关注一个运动物体也许是自闭症的一种症状。

医生和父母也可以观察一岁下儿童的正常行为。例如，婴儿是否对父母的声音有反应？是否婴儿有眼神交流？是否婴儿会摆手或者指着某些东西？

幼儿通常喜欢一些软的物体，像填充动物玩具或一条毯子。但患有自闭症的儿童可能喜欢硬物，而且总想一直拿着它们。他们可能不会在父母叫他们名字或指着某样东西说“看那里”时有反应。

约翰逊医生说新建议旨在利用早期干预而非通过“观望”法来确诊自闭症。来自美国儿科学会的第二篇报道涉及治疗自闭症的病例。我们将在下周进行讨论。