Soon, similar to a pregnancy test, a simple urine test could determine whether a child has autism. This would avoid a lengthy and traumatic process that includes several hospital visits necessary to diagnose the condition in children.
Furthermore, early diagnosis means that treatment could begin earlier and lead to a better quality of life for affected people later on. It has long been known that starting therapy at a young age makes all the difference later.
This urine test is still in its early stages, according to the Journal of Proteome Research.
Researchers are relying on the fact that people with autism have different bacteria in their body. Therefore, their urine has a distinct chemical fingerprint that other people without the disease don’t have.
If the trials are successful, the test could be offered in 2015.