Autism screening on unborn babies a step closer

13th January 2009

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TESTS to detect autism in unborn babies could be a step closer after breakthrough research by British scientists.

A study by Cambridge University's Autism Research Centre has found that high levels of testosterone in the amniotic fluid of pregnant women was linked to autistic traits in children.

The scientists based their findings on a study of 235 children carried out during the first eight years of their lives.

Britain's Guardian newspaper said the findings raised the possibility of doctors carrying out a prenatal amniocentesis - similar to that used to test for Down's syndrome - to screen for autism.

Director of the university's research team Professor Simon Baron-Cohen said it was time for a debate on whether the tests should go ahead and if parents should be able to terminate pregnancies if autism is detected.

"If there was a prenatal test for autism, would this be desirable," he told the newspaper.

"What would we lose if children with autistic spectrum disorder were eliminated from the population?".

"We should start debating this. There is a test for Down's syndrome and that is legal and parents exercise their right to choose termination, but autism is often linked with talent.

"It is a different kind of condition."

Prof Baron-Cohen said the research could also pave the way for drug companies to develop a pre-natal treatment for autism.

"There are drugs that block testosterone. But whether we'd want to would be a different matter," he said.