Kids with autism have distinct facial traits
The discovery of distinct differences in facial characteristics of children with autism compared to typically developing children may help pinpoint the origins of autism.
Researchers mapped 17 points on the face, such as the corner of the eye and the point of the nose, and then calculated the distances between each of the points to determine if there were differences in the shape of the face.
“If we can identify when these facial changes occur, we could pinpoint when autism may begin to develop in a child. Knowing that point in time could lead us to identify a genetic cause, a window of time when the embryo may be susceptible to an environmental factor, or both," says says Kristina Aldridge, lead author and assistant professor of anatomy at the University of Missouri.
Full story at Futurity.
Photo credit: University of Missouri
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