Infants who appeared to be moving towards autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had milder symptoms as toddlers if their caregivers underwent a social communication intervention when the infants were 1 year of age, suggested a randomized clinical trial.

The study was conducted at two sites in Perth and Melbourne in Australia wherein 50 infants were randomized to the iBASIS-Video Interaction to Promote Positive Parenting (iBASIS-VIPP) intervention and usual community care, while 54 infants were subjected to usual community care only. Infants whose families were part of the intervention had significantly milder ASD symptoms after 12 months compared to the control group. They also exhibited a lower likelihood of being diagnosed with ASD by an independent clinician at 3 years of age (6.7% vs 20.5%, OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.00-0.68), noted researchers. The findings are published in JAMA Pediatrics… (Medpage Today)