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A test for autism?

electra

I read today that researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have devised a test for autism that they say is 97% accurate. It involves giving someone am MRI scan and asking them to think about the meanings of words they are given, such as 'hug' or 'cuddle'. The posterior cingulate area of an autistic person's brain is supposed to show significantly less activity than that of an NT person when thinking about such words.

What do autistic people think of this? Is a test a good thing?

Parents

  • The link is here though I read the print version:

    www.newscientist.com/.../dn26651-hug-brain-test-could-diagnose-disorders-like-autism.html

    I have complained to the magazine about their use of the word 'disorder', be great if others could too. So far I have a 100% success rate in getting websites to use less offensive language when talking about autism. Even the BBC agreed.

    The study looked at 34 people altogether. It doesn't say how many were men and how many were women.

    I think the test would only be suitable for use on adults as children's brain's are not fully developed and don't process information in the same way.

    A yes/no test is appealing to scientists but would it help us? Lots of autistic people are misdiagnosed with mental health conditions but as they haven't been able to get a diagnostic interview for autism would they be able to get an MRI scan for it? When i got diagnosed I ws a shoo-in, no doubt in the clinicians mind at all. A scan wouldn't have helped me though perhaps i wouldn't have had to wait a year for it a I did the diagnosis.

    But then again do i want a machine telling me I'm autistic? The diagnostic interview was one of the milestones of my life, I'd never before been able to talk about the way I am and how I experience the world.

Reply

  • The link is here though I read the print version:

    www.newscientist.com/.../dn26651-hug-brain-test-could-diagnose-disorders-like-autism.html

    I have complained to the magazine about their use of the word 'disorder', be great if others could too. So far I have a 100% success rate in getting websites to use less offensive language when talking about autism. Even the BBC agreed.

    The study looked at 34 people altogether. It doesn't say how many were men and how many were women.

    I think the test would only be suitable for use on adults as children's brain's are not fully developed and don't process information in the same way.

    A yes/no test is appealing to scientists but would it help us? Lots of autistic people are misdiagnosed with mental health conditions but as they haven't been able to get a diagnostic interview for autism would they be able to get an MRI scan for it? When i got diagnosed I ws a shoo-in, no doubt in the clinicians mind at all. A scan wouldn't have helped me though perhaps i wouldn't have had to wait a year for it a I did the diagnosis.

    But then again do i want a machine telling me I'm autistic? The diagnostic interview was one of the milestones of my life, I'd never before been able to talk about the way I am and how I experience the world.

Children
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