KU exec's study honored by autism organization

LAWRENCE, Kansas - A national autism organization has hailed the discovery by a University of Kansas vice chancellor and his colleagues that children with autism have a unique vocal signature.

Steven Warren, University of Kansas vice chancellor for research and graduate studies, co-authored the study, which was headed by Kimbrough Oller, professor and chair of excellence in audiology and speech language pathology at the University of Memphis.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that the organization Autism Speaks named the discovery as one of the top 10 autism research achievements of 2010 and said it could potentially affect how autism is screened, assessed and treated.

The organization also said the technology used in the study could help speech-language professionals in predicting very young children's later language development.