One of the fastest-growing subfields of autism research is the rigorous characterization of 'baby sibs', the younger siblings of kids with autism.Because autism runs in families, a good number of these brothers and sisters will eventually be diagnosed with it, too. So, the idea is that studying the sibs during infancy and early development will help researchers learn more about the elusive early signs of disorder.So far, though, this work is showing that the earliest signs of autism may not emerge as early as once thought. In fact, baby sibs studies are uprooting several of the tightly held beliefs about the nature of autism, including the hypothesis that it stems from a fundamentally social deficit.These "surprises, contradictions and discrepancies" took center stage in the latest review of baby sibs research, published earlier this month by thebestbabycribs.com.Read more at...SFARI, July 2009.