摘要：Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a largely genetic (1, but also see 2) and highly prevalent (3) neurodevelopmental disorder. It is characterized by significant social impairments, and is associated with significant suffering and societal costs (4, 5). Currently, ASD cannot be diagnosed reliably before the age of 2 years. Although biomarkers for ASD are emerging (6), there are no biomarkers available that can prospectively predict diagnostic outcome at early ages. The ASD risk in siblings of individuals with an ASD diagnosis may be as high as 20%, on average (7). The recurrence rate is much higher in boys than in girls, and higher in multiplex families compared to simplex families.Keywords: Autism; sibling; recurrence rate; development; diagnosis; longitudinal design(Published: 24 August 2012)Citation: Microbial Ecology in Health & Disease 2012, 23: 18983 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/mehd.v23i0.18983
