A FOUR-MONTH-OLD baby is one of the first to take part in new research to discover how autism develops.

Matai Reid was monitored by scientists at Durham University to see how his brain responded to moving images.

The Durham-born youngster is one of 15 babies to have been studied since August last year.

Now the researchers are looking for more North-East babies up to two-years-old to take part.

Matai’s mother, Gemma Reid, said: “I think it is really important that we examine babies and look at how they behave when they are younger. I think it can tell us a lot about their development.

“There is so much we need to learn about conditions like autism and just looking at how babies develop normally can help with this.”

People who suffer from autism, described as a lifelong developmental disability, have difficulty with social communication and interaction.

The tests, which are non-invasive, and both harmless and painless, will tell scientists how babies see the world, how their brains process the things they see, and what it means to brain development.

The babies, who stay with their parents at all times, will be shown images and observed and monitored for their behaviour and brain activity. No medical tests for autism are carried out.

The psychologists, based at the university's Queen's Campus, in Stockton, will use the confidential data to work towards detecting autism in young babies by seeing how the brain works when babies are shown particular types of information.

Dr Vincent Reid, a psychologist at Durham University who is leading the research, said: "We are not doing any medical testing in this study but purely looking at babies' brains from an academic point of view.

“We don't yet know enough about how the brains of very young babies develop and how they react to things.

“It is vital we know more so we can identify problems and developmental delays much earlier which could lead to earlier diagnosis of conditions such as autism.

“It is important to stress that the procedure is non-invasive, harmless and painless.

Interested parents should visit dur.ac.uk/cdp/research/baby-lab or call 0191-3340440.