The way you see this optical illusion could help detect autism, scientists say

ACCURATELY diagnosing autism can be difficult, especially in young children.

However, US specialists now say the way you view this optical illusion can help diagnose the condition.

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If someone fails to quickly spot the white square while focusing on the black marks they are likely to have mild autism, the study found.

People who have the condition may find they have to focus directly on the white square itself to see the illusion.

That's because people who have autism process information differently to neurotypical people and tend to focus on just one thing intently rather than an entire picture.

Study author, Dr Emily Knight, a neurologist from the University of Rochester, said: "How our brain puts together pieces of an object or visual scene is important in helping us interact with our environments.

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"When we view an object or picture, our brains use processes that consider our experience and contextual information to help anticipate sensory inputs, address ambiguity, and fill in the missing information."

Autism is an incurable and lifelong developmental condition that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others.

It affects 100 people in the UK and is three to four times more common in boys than in girls, according to the

New  suggests the sooner a child gets diagnosed and receives help, the greater the chance for learning and progress.

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The latest study, published in the , tested the brain activity of 60 children aged seven to 17 with the condition while they processed the optical illusion.

Dr Emily said the results suggest children with autism "may not be able to do the same predicting and filling in of missing visual information as their peers".

"We now need to understand how this may relate to the atypical visual sensory behaviours we see in some children on the autism spectrum," she added.

What are the signs and symptoms of autism?

If you are worried about any of your or your child's symptoms, then you should speak to a GP.

In young children, the NHS says the key signs are:

• not responding to their name
• avoiding eye contact
• not smiling when you smile at them
• getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
• repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body
• not talking as much as other children
• not doing as much pretend play
• repeating the same phrases

In older kids, autism might look like:

• not seeming to understand what others are thinking or feeling
• unusual speech, such as repeating phrases and talking ‘at’ others
• liking a strict daily routine and getting very upset if it changes
• having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
• getting very upset if you ask them to do something
• finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on their own
• taking things very literally – for example, they may not understand phrases like "break a leg"
• finding it hard to say how they feel.