Children with autism disorders have unusual eye movements, but so do some of their parents, according to a new study from the University of Illinois in Chicago.

Professor Matthew Mosconi and his colleagues tested 57 parents or siblings of people with autism syndrome and 40 people unrelated to anyone with autism.

"Family members reported more communication abnormalities and obsessive-compulsive behaviors than the control group," Dr. Mosconi said. "The differences we found were very subtle. These are not the kinds of differences in eye movements that you would ever detect during a conversation with someone."

He said the tests may someday be a factor in identifying the brain systems at work in autism.

This study appears in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
 

Labels: autism, parenting, communication

Posted By: 4ADHD.com