March 29, 2009 -- A surprise discovery is leading autism researchers at Yale University toward earlier detection and new therapies for children with autism -- possibly beginning in infancy.

That discovery is all about key differences in what captures the attention of children with autism compared to other kids.

Those differences are in place by the time kids are 2 years old and may start much younger, note the scientists, who included Ami Klin, PhD, and Warren Jones, PhD, of the Yale Child Study Center.

"We know that the earlier we are able to detect autism and intervene, the more likely we are to optimize the child's outcome," Klin tells WebMD by email. "Our hope is to detect vulnerabilities for autism as early as possible, so as to intervene with the hope to capitalize on the babies' brain malleability."

Thomas Insel, MD, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (which funded the new study), agrees.

"For the first time, this study has pinpointed what grabs the attention of toddlers with ASDs [autism spectrum disorders]," Insel says in a news release. "In addition to the potential uses in screening for early diagnosis, this line of research holds promise for the development of new therapies based on redirecting visual attention in children with these disorders."