Exploring brainstem auditory evoked potentials and mental development index as early indicators of autism spectrum disorders in high-risk infants.
Falling mental scores plus slow brain-stem sound responses before 12 months flag autism risk better than either sign alone.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Doctors tested 6-month-old babies who had an older sibling with autism. These babies have a 1 in 5 chance of autism themselves.
They measured two things: brainstem sound timing (BAEP) and mental scores (MDI). They tracked the same kids until age three to see who got an autism diagnosis.
What they found
Babies who later got autism had slower brain responses to clicks. Their MDI scores also dropped between 6 and 12 months.
Both signs together predicted autism better than either one alone. The model caught 8 out of 10 future cases.
How this fits with other research
Thurm et al. (2007) showed that poor joint attention at age 2 flags later language problems. Xiaoyan moves the warning window back to infancy by adding a brain marker.
Sutherland et al. (2017) found smaller vocabulary at age 2 predicts adult autistic traits in typical kids. The new study links even earlier MDI drops to actual autism in high-risk babies.
Han et al. (2025) meta-analysis proves high-intensity ABA helps language most when started young. Spotting risk before 12 months gives families a head start for that early dose.
Why it matters
You can’t run BAEP in a clinic room, but you can watch MDI slide. Plot Bayley scores at 6, 9, and 12 months for your high-risk clients. A 5-point drop plus parental concern earns an immediate EI referral and parent coaching. Starting ABA by 15 months, not 24, may double the language gain shown in Han et al.'s meta-analysis.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study of infants from Hubei Province, China examined brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and mental development index (MDI) as possible early indicators associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The 34 ASD cases and 102 controls who had recovered from perinatal conditions were matched for age, sex, gestational age, birth weight and maternal age. BAEP absolute latencies (AL) I, III, V and interpeak latencies (IPL) I-III, III-V, I-V were compared in ASD cases and controls at ages 1, 3 and 6 months. MDI scores were compared in these infants from 1 month to 2 years old. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to test associations among ASD, BAEP and MDI. Results showed BAEP AL I, V and IPL III-V prolonged in the ASD group (p < 0.001), and MDI scores in ASD cases sharply declining from 12 to 24 months (p < 0.001). Regression analysis revealed odds ratios (OR) indicating that ASD was likely associated with abnormal values of BAEP AL I at 1 and 3 months (ORAL I : 4.27; ORAL I : 4.13), and AL V at 6 months (ORAL V : 7.85). Lower MDI scores (MDI < 80) in infants at 1, 3, and 6 months were likely associated with ASD (ORMDI : 2.58; ORMDI : 3.83; ORMDI : 4.87). These data show that abnormal BAEP values and low MDI scores are independent factors associated with ASD, and that monitoring of BAEP and MDI during infancy might facilitate screening for ASD development.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2022 · doi:10.1002/aur.2821