Commentary on “The Protest of a 6-Month-Old Girl: Is This a Prodrome of Autism?”

Abstract

This commentary discusses the dilemmas and questions raised by Dr. Voran's interesting case study of a very young infant, relating to two issues: a) Jane, the infant (the difficulties involved in the interpretation of an infant's mind processes on the basis of her behavior), and b) the elusive concept of autism (consideration of recent scientific epigenetic studies support the hypothesis that the intrauterine environment may increase the risk for future development of autism spectrum disorder). Though we now understand more about the role of biogenetics in behavior, the etiology of autism remains unclear. However, the plasticity of the brain in the first year of an infant's life provides potential for successful treatment of susceptible infants who may develop autism, when they are identified, and treated as early as possible. The author of this commentary welcomes Dr. Voran's case study since it contributes to raising awareness to this important statement.