New Blood Test May Help Diagnose Intellectual Disability And Developmental Delays
By Chris Sharry on February 11th, 2014 in Announcements
The U.S.Food and Drug Administration has recently approved a new test that may help diagnose intellectual disabilities and developmental delays in children. The new test, CytoScan Dx Assay, can detect chromosomal variations that may be responsible for a child’s developmental delay or intellectual disability. Based on a blood sample, the test can analyze the entire genome at one time and detect large and small chromosomal changes.
According to the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics, two to three percent of children in the United States have some form of intellectual disability. Many intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome and DiGeorge syndrome, are associated with chromosomal variations.
The goal of the test is to assist in determining possible causes of a child’s developmental delay or intellectual disability, allowing health care providers and parents to develop and appropriate care plan.
