BEIJING, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- In an effort to spot autism sooner, America's No. 1 pediatricians group is advising that all children by screened for autism twice by age 2, warning of symptoms such as babies who don't babble at 9 months and 1-year-olds who don't point to toys.

    There is no cure for the disorder, but experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity.

    Symptoms to be aware of and the call for early screening come in two new reports. They are being released by the American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday at its annual meeting in San Francisco and will appear in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics and on the group's website.

    The reports list numerous warning signs, such as a 4-month-old not smiling at the sound of mom or dad's voice, or the loss of language or social skills at any age. Experts say one in 150 U.S. children have the troubling developmental disorder.

    "Parents come into your office now saying ‘I'm worried about autism.' Ten years ago, they didn't know what it was," said Dr. Chris Johnson of the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, co-author of the reports.

    The academy's renewed effort reflects growing awareness since its first autism guidelines in 2001. A 2006 policy statement urged autism screening for all children at their regular doctor visits at age 18 months and 24 months.

    The authors caution that not all children who display a few of these symptoms are autistic and they said parents shouldn't overreact to quirky behavior.

    Just because a child likes to line up toy cars or has temper tantrums "doesn't mean you need to have concern, if they're also interacting socially and also pretending with toys and communicating well," said co-author Dr. Scott Myers, a neurodevelopmental pediatrician in Danville, Pennsylvania.

    (Agencies)