Asperger's Syndrome Infancy Test
Children who have Asperger's syndrome are high functioning and they do not have the same communication problems that most other children do within the autism spectrum of disorders. Identifying Asperger's syndrome early is often difficult since the child functions so well. Many children who have Asperger's syndrome are not diagnosed until the age of seven, much later than most autistic children.
Dr. Osnat Titelbaum and Dr. Philp Titelbaum led a group of researchers in the University of Florida to an amazing discovery that led to the development of the "tilt test". The team noticed that babies who were later found to have Asperger's syndrome keep their heads aligned with their bodies. They proposed a simple home test for babies who are six months in age or older.
The test simply requires the parent or caregiver to hold the baby at the waist in the upright position. The parent slowly tilts the baby to the left until the child is at a 45 degree angle and repeats to the right.
The baby who has Asperger's syndrome will keep his head aligned with the rest of his body. A normal baby will try to keep his head in the upright position. The "tilt test" is a remarkable approach that can help parents detect Asperger's syndrome years before they normally would.
