Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine developed the First Year Inventory survey to determine if a child may be at risk for autism. Lauren Turner-Brown and her colleagues used information on over 700 children as reported by their parents as a first step in determining whether children at age one might develop autism by age three. The 63-question survey asked about communication, imitation, and repetitive behaviors. At three years of age, parents of children who may have been at risk were contacted again to see if their child had in fact been diagnosed with autism. While much more research and study needs to be done to refine the survey, it did point out to parents that early awareness of autism symptoms may help in early intervention efforts.