Autism Project Looks to Early Detection In a small room similar to a doctor's office, Marlaina Dreher broke into applause as her 5-year-old son, Brandon, grabbed a red plastic spoon filled with puréed lasagna and fed himself. "Good job taking a bite, buddy," she said, joining in as her son banged his hands on a nearby table. Good job putting your spoon back. Brandon is autistic, and he's come a long way in his seven weeks in the pediatric feeding disorder program at the Marcus Autism Center. He used to eat only crackers and McDonald's fries, but meal time is no longer a constant battle. "I couldn't have imagined being here seven weeks ago," Dreher said. My husband, Sean, and I have said, 'What if we had come here two years ago? Where would we be now?' That's the heart of a partnership between the center and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. It aims to train a small group of state and contract employees to work with day care operators and pre-K providers throughout Georgia to identify the early warning signs of autism and support parents. Those involved in the effort point to research that shows that symptoms of the autism spectrum disorder, which affects some 1 in 88 children nationwide, can be detected as early as the first two years of life and that early intervention is key. Today, if I get a phone call and someone says they've got an 8-year-old who is unable to speak and is in need of our help, I know we can help that child. But we cannot help that child nearly as much as we could have if we got that same phone call when that child was 2," said Don Mueller, executive director of the Marcus Autism Center. The associated disabilities of autism are not inevitable. They don't have to happen in many kids. We can intervene and change the course. Marcus Autism Center, which operates under the umbrella of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, is one of three institutions designated as an Autism Center of Excellence by the National Institutes of Health. The center's effort with the state Department of Early Care and Learning is part of a broader goal to enhance community outreach and build community resources for children with autism and their families. Center officials hope to eventually expand the partnership to other states and are working with federal officials to bring their work to Head Start programs nationwide. Recently, a group of 15 state and contract employees who work with child care and pre-K providers gathered at the autism center to begin a yearlong training course. Another group began training in August. To start, each participant will identify at least two day care or pre-K programs to work with. They'll work with teachers on how to detect red flags, share concerns with parents and develop lesson plans tailored to a child's needs. "We don't want to see a whole generation of children coming to the Marcus Autism Center," Dr. Jennifer Stapel-Wax, the center's director of infant and toddler clinical research operations, said during the training. Research has shown intervention has the greatest impact if it begins before the age of 3, and experts estimate that a child with autism needs at least 25 hours per week of intensive work on behavioral issues. And treatment can be costly.