Autism is a disease which is now recognized in more and more children who would simply have been characterized as 'withdrawn' or 'not good with people' in the past. The understanding that the disorder is a chemical malfunction or imbalance in the brain, not simply a personality difference, has improved health outcomes for many autistic patients.

For children, though, diagnosis has been difficult. In many Western countries, autism is not diagnosed until the age of three or four, yet the earlier that health plans can be created, the better that individuals fare. Previously, hospitals in Bangkok used the autism quotient checklist devised by Cambridge hospital doctors, a system based on parents' or carers' evaluations of a child's behavior.

Thailand medical centers that deal with brain function have been particularly excited about recent developments that go towards developing objective, early tests for autism. We explain these tests.

The early part of 2009 has yielded some very exciting developments in autism diagnosis. Like cancer, early detection of autism is critical in managing it. Prior to this, personal opinion scores like the autism quotient test from Cambridge University were the most used tools for diagnosing the disease by Thai medical center doctors.

The Cambridge Autism Quotient test is a set of fifty questions, for which the respondent, usually a parent or caregiver, either strongly agrees, agrees, disagrees or strongly disagrees. Scores above the median (over 75 according to test parameters) indicate towards autism, with higher scores indicating more autistic tendencies.

However, the problem with these tests that hospitals in Bangkok that study brain function would often find is that the test results are quite easily skewed by the perceptions of the caregiver. The autism symptoms checklist is often used, which consists of:

1.Sustained odd play

2.Gross-fine motor skills out of proportion

3.Unresponsive to verbal stimulus

4.Little eye contact, or none.

5.Extreme resistance to routine changes

6.Physical over- or under-activity

7.Tantrums or distress

8.Fierce attachments to objects, little attachment to people

9.Spinning of objects

When all symptoms are present, it is fairly obvious to Bangkok international hospitals that autism therapy should begin - however cases are rarely black and white.

A new research tool developed by fellows at McMasters University is being eagerly anticipated by autism specialists at Bangkok's medical tourism hospitals. The tool measures eye direction while babies look at various images on screens. The images include faces, eyes, and bouncing balls, and early tests indicate that it could diagnose autism in babies as young as 9 or 12 months.

The test takes only ten minutes and is non-invasive. Better than this, though, it is objective. It does not depend on either a parent or caregiver's opinion, or the observations of a clinician. Hospitals in Bangkok have been glad to have that responsibility shouldered by an objective, scientific test, rather than imperfect opinions.

Researchers in Italy have also made some progress towards a saliva test for autism, which has long been thought possible but research has previously hit brick walls. In this study, the salival proteins of 27 autistic children were compared with a control group.

19 children in the ASD group displayed significantly lower levels of activity in one of four proteins. International hospitals in Bangkok envision that the saliva test may be able to be administered in hospital in conjunction with vaccinations, to provide early advice to parents.