We understand that as soon as you discover that you are about to become the parent to your own bundle of joy, you would go to any extent to protect the little one from any kind of harm! This protection also extends to any kind of harm that might befall your baby inside the womb itself!
Only recently has it been discovered that (thanks to the wonderful advancement in technology taking place every day) the possibility of screening unborn babies to detect autism is a real thing. It has been observed that higher amount of testosterone present in the amniotic fluid in a pregnant woman might be correlated to the development of autistic traits in an unborn child.
It came to the notice of scientists of Cambridge University that higher levels of testosterone were detected in the womb, the likelihood of children exhibiting autistic traits become more apparent. These children usually, by the age of 8, started showing lack of sociability and verbal skills.
Thanks to Amniocentesis, which is essentially the screening process that helps in the detection of autism in the womb stage itself, there are tests that can be conducted to detect autism successfully.
We are sure that you might have heard of Amniocentesis as this test is already being used to detect other disorders in unborn children including those with Down’s syndrome. Of course, there are ethical issues related to such tests as well but sometimes the good outweighs the negative characteristics of such tests. After all, if detected, one can at least do their best to control the situation!
Autistic children are exceptionally gifted, especially when it comes to subjects like mathematics and music. The only major issue with autistic children is that they have problems when socializing and also when forming relationships that last long.
Due to these very reasons, the need for prenatal screening has become important, since they help the parents to prepare for the future so that they are able to provide the best life they can to their little one and establish a happier life for the whole family!