Genetic testing for autism is recommended as autism is very common among children now a day. Autism is a crippling disease and it affects the child’s learning ability. Genetic testing will help in determining the causative factors for autism early in life and hence a proper treatment plan can then be devised. Read on to know more.

Autism is now found to be common amongst children and this perhaps because of the higher awareness levels. However, there is scope for greater progress in the treatment of the disease. Researchers have continued to be eluded to find the exact root cause of the disease and determine a perfect potential cure.

The treatment is still in the research level as most of the options tried out are experimental in nature. In order to demystify autism it is important to have all the relevant information under a single head and in the right order so that the picture has all the missing links together in order to decode it. This calls for genetic testing as it holds the key to a world of information that actually needs to located and identified in the correct manner.

Now What is Autism?

It is a puzzling disorder. It is directly related to developmental disorders or delays and the signs for the disease are recognized when the child shows reluctance or inability to meet the developmental milestones as he grows up.

Significance of Genetic Test for Autism

Genetic tests for autism are suggested due to the following main reasons.

• Autism is found to be a very prevalent disorder today. Researchers are doctors are baffled that if this be a trend then there must a definite cause behind it that needs to be identified. 

• Since autism is a serious disorder as it cripples the child’s ability to learn for a lifetime (in most cases), the condition needs to be detected as early as possible.

• Genetic testing for autism will pave the way for an effective treatment so that the child’s suffering is minimized. This is only possible if the information is received early, and genetic test is the way out.

How is the Screening for Genetic Test for Autism Conducted?

When the child is in the developmental stage, the parents and teachers are in the best position to observe whether the child is showing signs of developmental delays. This is when the baby is not attaining the developmental milestones within the expected time or not attaining at all.

The moment they notice this deficiency, they must understand that the child needs to be screened for autism. This is basically the first level of screening. In the second level a formal evaluation is conducted which comprises of the diagnosis and procedure of treatment suggested by the doctor. Here a medical geneticist is the perfect person to conclude whether the specific genetic traits leading to autism is present in the child or not.

Types of Genetic Testing for Autism

Genetic test for autism is of three types.

G-Banded Karyotype Testing – Karyotyping is a standard genetic test that is a part of the child’s regular health screening. Any abnormality in the genetic pattern can be identified through this test. It has been noticed that any presence of abnormalities can be detected in 2% of the patients through this test.

Fragile X Testing – This test is likely to reveal any possible abnormality in 0.5% of the children.

CMA – This is a new test option that is conducted in the molecular level. Compared to the above two variants the results of this test is found to be more effective as the abnormalities were detected in 18% of the children tested. The usual or known genetic disorders were found in 7% amongst the 18% segment. This proves it effectiveness in determining and detecting abnormalities.

Benefits of Genetic Testing