An expert said the test for key markers in blood and urine was long way from a “test for autism” Denis Poroy/APA blood test could one day be used to spot autistic children, early results suggest. Looking for key markers in the blood and urine distinguished with almost 90 per cent accuracy between children with autism and those developing normally, raising hope for the method to be tested in hospitals. About one in a hundred children is thought have autistic spectrum disorder. Scientists at the University of Warwick have been studying biological markers of protein damage and used artificial intelligence analysis to identify those linked to dysfunctions in the brain. Comparing 38 children on the autistic spectrum with 31 healthy children aged about eight, they found that looking for higher levels of these key markers could distinguish between the two groups with 88 per cent accuracy,…

Source: The Times February 19, 2018 09:00 UTC