Abnormal Growths In Placenta Are An Early Sign of Autism: Study

Abnormal growth in the placenta can show a child's risk of developing autism, reports a new study conducted by researchers from Yale School of Medicine.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. According to a new report, about one in 50 children has ASD.

Currently, very few children with the condition receive early diagnosis, which delays their learning process.

In the latest study, researchers said that the presence of abnormal folds in the placenta and trophoblast inclusions - abnormal cell growth - can be good indicators of autism. This method can be used to catch the disorder early and provide effective intervention tools.

In the study, researchers looked at the placentas of 117 babies who belonged to high-risk families - where one or more children had been diagnosed with the condition. All the study participants were part of the Markers of Autism Risk in Babies - Learning Early Signs. Researchers then compared these placentas with 100 placentas of other children from the same geographical area.

Researchers found that placentas from babies of at-risk families had 15 trophoblast inclusions, while placentas of other children had no such abnormal cell growth. According to Dr. Harvey Kliman, a child with four or more abnormal cell growth in placenta has a 96.7 percent probability of having a risk of autism.

Today, the highest risk factor for babies is the family history of the condition. Parents with a child diagnosed with autism have about 9 times higher chances of having another kid with the same condition. "Regrettably couples without known genetic susceptibility must rely on identification of early signs or indicators that may not overtly manifest until the child's second or third year of life," said Kliman, research scientist in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine and senior author of the study.

He added that when these parents have subsequent children, they can decide on early intervention treatments that can make the condition easier to manage.

"I hope that diagnosing the risk of developing autism by examining the placenta at birth will become routine, and that the children who are shown to have increased numbers of trophoblast inclusions will have early interventions and an improved quality of life as a result of this test," Kliman added in a news release.

The study is published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.