This breakthrough promises to enable early screening and personalized monitoring of developmental disorders in babies.

“The first years of life are critical for brain development,” explained Lippé. “This is when changes at all levels of brain structure and function lay the foundation for increasingly complex information processing.”

This fact underscores the importance of reliable tools for the assessment of brain maturation and early identification of children at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as language delays, attention deficit disorder and autism.