Is it autism? Facial features that show disorder

How do children with autism differ from those without the disorder? Social behaviors, mostly - things like avoiding eye contact or ignoring tone of voice. But recent research has shed light on a more subtle difference - facial features. Scientists at the University of Missouri found that children with autism share certain facial features that distinguish them from other children. At left is an example of a face study author and anatomy professor Dr. Kristina Aldrige mapped with 17 points to calculate facial traits.

What are these distinguishing features? Keep clicking to see images used in the study and compare them with photos of children with autism courtesy of the Autism Society...

Credit: University of Missouri