Eshkol–Wachman movement notation in diagnosis: The early detection of Asperger's syndrome

Abstract

The diagnostic criteria of Asperger's syndrome (AS), considered a part of the autistic spectrum disorder, are still unclear. A critical marker, which distinguishes AS from autism, is the presence of language. The ability of a child with AS to acquire and use language early results in the fact that AS usually is diagnosed much later than autism. Autism is not usually diagnosed until around the age of 3, whereas AS usually is not diagnosed until the child is 6 or 7 years of age. In the present article, using Eshkol-Wachman movement notation, we present evidence that abnormal movement patterns can be detected in AS in infancy. This finding suggests that AS can be diagnosed very early, independent of the presence of language. As shown earlier by us, almost all of the movement disturbances in autism can be interpreted as infantile reflexes ''gone astray''; i.e., some reflexes are not inhibited at the appropriate age in development, whereas others fail to appear when they should. This phenomenon appears to apply to AS as well. Based on preliminary results, a simple test using one such reflex is proposed for the early detection of a subgroup of children with AS or autism.

Altered calcium homeostasis in autism-spectrum disorders: evidence from biochemical and genetic studies of the mitochondrial aspartate/glutamate carrier AGC1

“…5 Genetically, the picture is complicated by significant interindividual heterogeneity, numerous contributing loci, incomplete penetrance, phenocopies, gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. 3 Several lines of evidence strongly support a prenatal onset for developmental abnormalities later leading to autism: 6 post-mortem assessments of brains of autistic patients have unveiled early neurodevelopmental alterations including reduced programmed cell death and/or increased cell proliferation, altered cell migration, abnormal cell differentiation with reduced neuronal size and altered synaptogenesis; 3,7 many children later diagnosed with ASD display motor abnormalities 8 and/or excessive body growth, 9 already on the day of birth or in early neonatal life. In addition, systemic signs and symptoms including macrosomy, 9 nonspecific enterocolitis, 10,11 immune dysreactivity 11 and renal oligopeptiduria, 12 pose autism as a multiorgan systemic disorder encompassing several developmental components, not restricted to the central nervous system (CNS).…”

Involvement of the PRKCB1 gene in autistic disorder: significant genetic association and reduced neocortical gene expression

“…10 On the other hand, the neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying the CNS abnormalities found in postmortem studies, which include reduced programmed cell death and/ or increased cell proliferation, and altered neuronal migration, differentiation and synaptogenesis, with the exception of the latter, are all active prenatally, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. 2,11,12 Indeed, many children later diagnosed with ASD display motor abnormalities 13 and/or excessive body growth 6 already on the day of birth or in early neonatal life. Therefore, genes characterized by an early onset of expression and encoding proteins involved in the control of cell division, differentiation and migration can represent attractive candidates for autistic disorder even if their tissue distribution patterns are not necessarily restricted to the CNS.…”

Autism genetics: Methodological issues and experimental design

“…(ii) Although some motor signs may be already present at birth [94], baby-sibling studies document behavioral abnormalities in most of cases appearing around the end of the first year of postnatal life [95];…”