News today from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) on the Autism research front:

Autism, a devastating disorder marked by poor social and learning skills, may be caused by reduced brain size at birth followed by bursts of brain growth months later, San Diego researchers have found.

"What we've discovered is really very startling – the first glimpse of when autism begins," said Eric Courchesne, director of the Center for Autism Research at Children's Hospital San Diego and a UCSD professor of neurosciences.

If the finding is verified by more research, he said, it could prompt clinicians to routinely measure head size during the first year of infancy – years before autism is usually diagnosed – so behavior modification can begin sooner.

Studies show that the earlier steps are taken, the better their outcomes.