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Autism Detection: A Summary of Dr. Ami Klin’s Autism Work

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Could Autism Be Detected at Birth? The Future of Autism Detection and Prevention

Could autism one day be detected at birth—before speech delays, reduced eye contact, or other developmental differences become obvious?

When I first entered the autism world after my son Lucas was diagnosed in 1999, that question would have sounded impossible. Today, researchers are using eye-tracking technology, artificial intelligence, home videos, blood samples, and even strands of hair to explore earlier autism detection.

Some of the earliest and most important work in this area came from Dr. Ami Klin and Dr. Warren Jones. Their eye-tracking research found measurable changes in how some babies later diagnosed with autism looked at other people’s eyes beginning between 2 and 6 months of age. Their work helped show that autism-related developmental differences may begin much earlier than most parents or professionals can see—and that earlier detection could create an important opportunity for earlier support.

But there is an important distinction parents need to understand:

We do not currently have a standard test that can definitively diagnose autism at birth.

What we do have is promising research that may help us recognize a child’s likelihood of autism earlier, reduce long diagnostic delays, and begin supporting development sooner.

That matters because early autism detection is not simply about getting a label. It is about helping parents know what to do when a child’s communication, engagement, play, or daily living skills are not developing as expected.

The key to autism detection is also educating parents at first signs so that we can start taking action early.

Dr. Klin told me in 2019 that he doesn’t think autism can be prevented, but he does believe that if we can start intervening much earlier, we could turn things around. 

What Is Autism Detection?

Autism detection can involve several different steps:

  • Parents and healthcare providers monitoring development
  • Autism screening with tools such as the M-CHAT-R/F
  • A comprehensive autism evaluation
  • Emerging technologies that measure eye gaze, behavior, biological patterns, video, or other possible biomarkers

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends developmental screening at 9, 18, and 30 months and autism-specific screening at 18 and 24 months. Additional screening may be appropriate when parents have concerns or when a child has an autistic sibling or other risk factors. 

Autism can sometimes be reliably diagnosed by an experienced professional around age 2. Unfortunately, many families wait much longer. The CDC’s most recent surveillance report found that the median age of earliest known autism diagnosis was 47 months among children with a documented diagnosis.

That is a significant amount of developmental time to lose—especially when a parent already sees signs that something is not right.

Dr. Ami Klin’s Work on Early Autism Detection

I have seen Dr. Ami Klin present his research several times, including at the National Autism Conference. His work changed how I think about autism detection, parent-child interaction, screen time, and what families can do at the first signs.

Dr. Klin and his colleague Dr. Warren Jones study what they call social visual engagement—where babies and toddlers look when watching other people interact.

Most young children are naturally drawn to faces, eyes, voices, and social exchanges. Some infants who are later diagnosed with autism begin paying less attention to those social signals and more attention to objects or nonsocial parts of an interaction.

In a landmark study, Jones and Klin found that infants later diagnosed with autism demonstrated a decline in attention to other people’s eyes between approximately 2 and 6 months of age.

The babies did not begin life with no eye contact. Instead, their patterns of looking changed over time. You can read the original eye-tracking study here.

To me, this is one of the most hopeful parts of Dr. Klin’s research. It suggests there may be a period when social development is starting to get off track, but the differences are not yet as significant or obvious as they may become later.

This does not mean parents should measure every second of eye contact or assume that a baby who looks away has autism. It means we need to look at the child’s overall pattern of communication and engagement.

Is the child looking toward people, responding to their name, imitating, pointing, babbling back and forth, and sharing enjoyment?

From Dr. Klin’s Research to an Autism Diagnostic Aid

Drs. Klin and Jones continued this work for more than 20 years. Their research eventually contributed to the development of EarliPoint Evaluation, an FDA-authorized device designed to aid clinicians evaluating children between 16 and 30 months.

Children watch short videos of social interactions while the device measures where they look and what social information holds their attention. A 2023 study involving 475 children found that measurements of social visual engagement closely aligned with expert clinical evaluations.

The technology does not replace a qualified clinician or provide a stand-alone autism diagnosis. It gives clinicians objective developmental information that may make evaluations faster and more precise. 

But from my perspective as both a parent and behavior analyst, identifying autism earlier is only useful if families are also given practical help.

Parents should not be handed a result and told to wait. They need to know how to assess their child’s current skills, make a plan, teach communication and learning skills, and take simple data to see what is improving.

The goal is not to label children earlier for the sake of a label. It is to shorten the time between a parent’s first concern and meaningful support—and to empower parents during one of the most important periods of their child’s development.

Can Autism be Prevented? 

When I heard Dr. Klin present in 2019, I asked him directly, “Do you think autism can be prevented?”

His answer was no—not autism itself.

Autism is a complex developmental condition influenced by multiple genetic and biological factors. There is currently no proven medication, diet, supplement, prenatal strategy, or therapy that guarantees autism prevention.

But that is not the end of the discussion.

My biggest takeaway is that autism detection must lead to action, not simply a diagnosis, referral, or place on another waitlist.

Dr. Klin’s research focuses on the early back-and-forth relationship between a child and caregiver. I think of this as a developmental loop.

The parent looks, talks, gestures, or plays. The child responds. The parent notices that response and responds again. These small exchanges happen repeatedly throughout the day and help build communication, imitation, joint attention, play, and social understanding.

When a child responds less often, that developmental loop can begin getting off track. The child may miss hundreds of small learning opportunities during play, meals, bath time, dressing, and other everyday routines.

Parents are not causing this disruption, and they should never be blamed for it. Most parents have never been taught how to recognize these subtle signs or how to increase back-and-forth interaction. I certainly did not understand them when Lucas was young.

But once parents recognize that their child is not consistently engaging, imitating, pointing, responding, or communicating, they can learn how to create more opportunities for these skills.

That might mean:

  • Rolling a ball back and forth
  • Pausing during a familiar song
  • Imitating the child’s sounds and movements
  • Offering simple choices
  • Taking turns with an inset puzzle
  • Pairing words with motivating toys and activities
  • Reinforcing attempts to look, point, gesture, vocalize, or request

The child does not need to repeat every word. The first goal is more connection, engagement, and back-and-forth communication.

Dr. Klin’s research also influenced how I think about screen time. The concern is not simply that screens are “bad.” The concern is what a young child may be missing while watching repetitive or nonsocial content.

During that same period, the child could be learning to notice facial expressions, imitate actions, respond to language, take turns, request, and share enjoyment with another person.

I do not recommend abruptly removing every screen, especially if videos are highly reinforcing for the child. Instead, I recommend gradually replacing some screen time with enjoyable, face-to-face interaction and using screens strategically when needed.

What Do We Mean by Autism Prevention?

The word “prevention” can be controversial, so we need to be clear.

I am not talking about changing who an autistic child is, blaming parents, or promising that a particular therapy will make autism disappear.

I am talking about preventing or reducing some of the serious challenges that can accompany autism, including:

  • Severe communication delays
  • Dangerous or disruptive behavior
  • Self-injury and aggression
  • Feeding and sleeping problems
  • Loss of independence
  • Significant intellectual or adaptive skill gaps

Early autism detection gives us an opportunity to support communication, engagement, play, learning, and daily living skills while a child is very young. 

We also cannot look at a 2- or 3-year-old and reliably predict exactly how that child will function at 8, 18, or 30.

Some toddlers who appear significantly delayed make tremendous progress. Other children whose early signs appear mild develop larger gaps as language, learning, and social expectations increase.

That is why I do not recommend “wait and see,” even when the signs appear mild.

Can Early Intervention Prevent an Autism Diagnosis?

Some emerging research raises another question: Can supporting infants who show early signs reduce the likelihood that they later meet the full diagnostic criteria for autism?

In one randomized clinical trial, infants showing early signs received a parent-mediated intervention beginning at approximately 9 months. At age 3, the intervention group showed reduced autism symptom severity and was less likely to meet autism diagnostic criteria than children receiving usual care. You can read the study in JAMA Pediatrics.

This was one study, and it does not mean autism can routinely be prevented through therapy. But it supports the value of helping parents respond to developmental differences early.

Another 2023 study followed 213 children diagnosed with autism between 12 and 36 months. At ages 5 to 7, 37.1% no longer met the diagnostic criteria for autism. Researchers referred to this as “nonpersistent autism.”

That study did not prove that intervention caused the change. Some children who no longer met autism criteria also continued to have developmental needs. But it reinforces an important point: developmental outcomes are not always fixed when a toddler is diagnosed, and why early action is just as important as early detection. 

I discuss this research further in my article about whether a child can outgrow an autism diagnosis.

Could Autism Be Detected at Birth?

I recently interviewed Amol Deshpande, an autism father and the founder and CEO of Frontera Health.

Amol’s son began showing developmental differences as a toddler. His pediatrician did not provide the answers the family needed, so Amol began making calls, building connections, and ultimately paying privately for an evaluation.

His son was diagnosed and entered therapy at approximately 2 to 3 years old. Amol saw therapy have a transformative impact on his son.

That experience led him to invest more than $20 million of his own money into autism science, technology, clinics, and potential breakthroughs.

During our conversation, Amol discussed his investment in LinusBio and its hair-based biochemical test, ClearStrand-ASD.

According to the company, the test analyzes patterns within a strand of hair to detect a biomarker associated with autism. It is available by prescription and is intended to help healthcare providers rule out autism when it is a concern in children as young as one month, but does not diagnose autism. 

That wording is important:

  • It is intended to help rule autism out.
  • Results are reported as negative or non-negative.
  • It does not independently diagnose autism.
  • It does not replace developmental monitoring.
  • It does not replace a comprehensive autism evaluation.

So, can autism currently be diagnosed at birth? No.

Could a biological test eventually help identify an increased likelihood of autism before behavioral signs are visible? That is the possibility Amol finds so exciting.

It is an emerging area that requires continued independent research, replication, and careful clinical use. 

Why Access to Parent Support Matters

Birth to age 3 remains one of the most important—and most underfunded—periods of a child’s development.

A child may receive several hours of professional therapy each week, but parents are there during meals, play, errands, bedtime, weekends, and interactions with siblings.

That does not mean parents should turn every waking hour into formal therapy. It means parents should know how to create meaningful learning opportunities during everyday routines.

Unfortunately, access is not equal.

Some families can obtain a private evaluation quickly. Others face year-long waitlists, insurance barriers, limited transportation, language differences, or a shortage of local providers.

These barriers do not reflect how much parents care about their children. They reflect major gaps in the care system. 

This is the problem Amol is trying to address through Frontera Health, and also why I created online courses so parents could learn to help their kids at the first sign of detection. 

Amol’s Mission to Transform Autism Care

Amol founded Frontera Health, and the new parent app, to reduce the gap between a parent recognizing a concern and receiving high-quality autism care.

He believes technology and artificial intelligence can help clinicians:

  • Work more efficiently
  • Reduce evaluation and treatment waitlists
  • Individualize recommendations
  • Measure progress more precisely
  • Bring support to underserved communities
  • Give parents better information

Amol and I also agree that more hours of therapy do not automatically equal better therapy.

A child’s plan should be based on that individual child’s strengths and needs. Parents must also be involved because professional therapy represents only a small portion of the child’s week.

What happens during meals, play, bath time, bedtime, outings, and interactions with siblings matters.

Parents need practical strategies they can use throughout everyday life—not just a report telling them what happened inside a clinic.

What Parents Can Do at the First Signs of Autism

Emerging autism-detection technology is exciting, but parents should not wait for a future breakthrough, or even a formal diagnosis, before supporting their child’s development.

Here are the steps I recommend. 

1. Focus on connection and engagement

Before focusing on academic skills or getting a child to sit for long periods, help the child enjoy interacting with you.

Join activities the child already likes. Pair yourself with favorite toys, songs, movement, snacks, and playful routines.

The first goal is to become interesting and valuable to the child. This is called pairing and I discuss it at length in my online courses. 

2. Create more back-and-forth interactions

Language develops through interaction, not simply by hearing more words. Learn how to engage with your child, and…

Try simple activities such as:

  • Rolling a ball back and forth
  • Pausing during a familiar song
  • repeating puzzle piece names 3 times as you hand the child a piece.
  • Imitating the child’s sounds or movements
  • Offering choices and helping them gesture to one if there is no language. 
  • Encouraging the child to look, point, reach, gesture, or request

The child does not need to repeat every word. The goal is to create more opportunities for communication, joint attention, imitation, and engagement.

3. Watch carefully for regression

Regression means losing a skill a child previously demonstrated. This might include:

  • Losing words
  • Pointing or waving less
  • No longer responding to their name
  • Stopping familiar social games
  • Becoming more restricted with food
  • Developing new sleep problems
  • Becoming less socially engaged

Regression should not be dismissed as “just a phase.” Write down what changed, record short videos, and discuss the changes with the child’s healthcare provider.

4. Replace some screen time with interaction

After studying Dr. Klin’s work, I changed how I think about screen time.

The concern is not only the screen itself. It is what the child may be missing while watching repetitive or nonsocial content:

  • Faces and facial expressions
  • Gestures
  • Imitation
  • Functional language
  • Turn-taking
  • Requesting
  • Shared enjoyment

I do not recommend abruptly eliminating every screen, especially when videos are one of the child’s strongest reinforcers.

Instead, gradually replace some screen time with engaging activities and real-life interaction. Short periods of screen access may also be used strategically when needed.

5. Request screening and early intervention

You can complete my free Barbera Early Childhood Assessment to identify your child’s strengths and needs across language, learning, self-care, and problem behaviors.

Ask your pediatrician for developmental and autism screening. Parents in the United States can also contact their state’s early intervention program without waiting for an autism diagnosis.

But, don’t wait for the professionals to take action…

6. Start learning while you wait

A parent does not need an autism diagnosis or even early intervention in place to work on talking, understanding language, imitation, play, eating, sleeping, safety, or problem behaviors.

If the child has a speech delay rather than autism, these strategies can still help. If the child is later diagnosed with autism, the family has not lost months waiting to begin.

Learn how today! 

Early Autism Detection Must Lead to Action

I spent more than a year in denial after my husband first raised concerns about Lucas at 21 months. I desperately wanted to believe he would be fine.

Lucas is now 30 and continues to need round-the-clock care and supervision. I cannot know what would have happened if I had understood the early signs and started parent-led intervention sooner.

I share this without blaming myself or other parents. We do the best we can with the information we have. When we know better, we can act sooner.

Autism detection is changing. Eye tracking, artificial intelligence, biomarkers, digital phenotyping, and tools such as the Frontera app may help families receive answers and support earlier.

But parents do not have to wait for technology, a diagnosis, or the top of a therapy waitlist to begin helping.

Early detection should lead to early, practical, parent-supported action.

If you are noticing early signs and want help choosing your next step, start here. 

early detection of autism

Resources

Autism Detection FAQ

Autism cannot currently be definitively diagnosed at birth through standard medical care. Researchers are studying biological and behavioral markers that may indicate an increased likelihood of autism during infancy.

A hair-based test is available by prescription to help healthcare providers rule out autism in children as young as one month, but it is not a stand-alone autism diagnosis.

Subtle developmental differences may appear during the first year of life. Dr. Ami Klin and Dr. Warren Jones found measurable changes in attention to other people’s eyes between 2 and 6 months among some infants later diagnosed with autism.

In clinical practice, autism may sometimes be detected by 18 months. An evaluation by an experienced professional can be reliable around age 2.

There is currently no proven way to guarantee autism prevention. Autism has multiple genetic and biological influences.

However, parents taking early action matters.  Early support may improve communication, engagement, adaptive functioning, and behavior. It may also reduce some of the significant developmental challenges that can accompany autism.

Possible early signs include:

  • Limited pointing or gesturing
  • Reduced response to name
  • Delayed babbling or talking
  • Reduced imitation
  • Limited back-and-forth interaction
  • Unusual or repetitive play
  • Losing previously acquired skills

One sign alone does not confirm autism. However, developmental concerns or regression should always be acted upon first, and then discussed with a healthcare provider.

No. Parents can request early intervention, speech-language support, a developmental evaluation, and parent coaching while waiting for a formal autism assessment.

Support should be based on the child’s current developmental needs—not only on whether the child already has an autism diagnosis.

While you wait, complete the free Barbera Early Childhood Assessment to identify your child’s strengths and needs across language, learning, self-care, and problem behaviors. You can also attend my free online workshop to learn practical steps you can begin using right away.