Background: Studies have shown that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience better outcomes the earlier they receive a diagnosis. Using currently available assessments—which include evaluations of language, behavior, and intellectual abilities—clinicians diagnose children with ASD at the average age of four.

What’s new: On November 7, 2014, the open-access journal PLoS One featured a study exploring techniques to find markers for ASD in the blood of affected individuals. The researchers compared the blood plasma of 39 children with ASD to that of 22 typically developing peers and found 179 features differentiating their blood. Using five different laboratory tests, the scientists tested for those same features in the blood of another set of children—13 with ASD and 8 with typical development—and were able to accurately classify them more than 80 percent of the time.

Why it’s important: This study moves the field closer to having a blood test for ASD, which would allow for earlier diagnosis and intervention. Future studies could refine which combination of biomarkers and which laboratory tests result in the most accurate diagnosis.

Biomarkers

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