Of the children the study's results were based on, 17 of whom were developing normally and 25 of whom tested for ASD, only the presence of an autism-like disorder seemed statistically linked to the 11 msec lag.

FORK IN DEVELOPMENT


Another intriguing finding of the study was that ASD children didn't see their audio-response lags diminish with age, something that happened with the normally developing children, and which generally occurs as we get older.

"This is part of development," says Dr. Roberts. "What happens during childhood and adolescence, [the delay] moves from 150 msec towards about 100 msec as an adult. It's not quite linear, but it's progressing like that."

An expanded study, funded with the National Institutes of Health grant lasting through 2012, should help the researchers find out if the MEG results hold true with younger children, so they can figure out where, if anywhere, the development of children with ASD turns a corner. Dr. Roberts also hopes to explore more complicated and linguistic stimuli. "[From the] beep, and all the way up to words and sentences," he says.

If successful, the MEG, for which Dr. Roberts is currently designing a new version, suitable for infants and toddlers, could be a useful adjunct to resolve ambiguous clinical diagnoses. But in addition to the scientific hurdles, doctors will need to clear the problems with supply. "There are about 100 MEG machines worldwide," Dr. Roberts says, "so this is not a technology in every doctor's office." At least, not yet. But Dr. Roberts believes as more studies come out, there will be greater demand for this sort of technology that lives up to Dr. Roberts' philosophy. "Don't ask the child," he says. "Ask the brain."


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