Fascinating new research has found that children with autism spectrum disorder may have more rapidly growing brains and bodies at the start of the second trimester of pregnancy than children without autism. Although autism is generally not apparent at birth, children who go on to develop autism seem to have a larger head and abdomen at 20 weeks than healthy children. The results of this study were presented at this year's International Congress of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Autism symptoms typically present at age 3 or 4. Being able to diagnose it much sooner would allow a treatment strategy to be implemented at a younger age, hopefully protecting the developing brain from further harm. Reference: Medscape: "Routine Ultrasound Scans May Detect Autism in Utero."