The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), consisting of 23 yes/no items, was used to screen 1,293 children. Of the 58 given a diagnostic/developmental evaluation, 39 were diagnosed with autism. Six items pertaining to social relatedness and communication provided the best means of discrimination among children. (Contains references.)…

This article comments on results of a study (EC 629 869) on the reliability of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), a early detection screening test. It discusses concerns relating to clinic vs. population samples, data analysis, use of a parent questionnaire only to identify autism, and the age of screening. (Contains…

This article responds to comments (EC 629 869-70) on a study on the reliability of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), a early detection screening test. It addresses concerns relating to clinic vs. population samples, data analysis, use of a parent questionnaire only to identify autism, and the age of screening. (Contains 6…

A study examined 233 children's ratings of attitudes and behavioral interventions toward a peer with or without autism. Both third- and sixth-grade children showed less positive attitudes toward children with autism. Children showed no differences on behavioral intentions. Information about autism did not affect ratings. (Contains references.)…

A study involving 35 children (age 9) with high-functioning autism, 31 children with developmental language disorder, 40 children with low-functioning autism, and 17 children with low IQ, found IQ was predictive of adaptive behavior in both low-functioning groups, but language and verbal memory predicted adaptive behavior in higher functioning…

This article reports on the outcomes of a study that used functional communication training (FCT) with two students, (ages 6 and 15) with autism and severe mental retardation, to add information to a database assessing the potential generalized effects of FCT and to examine the role that contingencies for appropriate and problem behaviors play in…

This study compared working memory in 28 high-functioning autistic individuals (ages 7-18) with that of 30 individuals with Tourette Syndrome or typically developing. No group differences were found. Performance was significantly correlated only with age and IQ. Results suggest that working memory is not an executive function seriously impaired in…

This study compared hand preference and motor skills in 20 children with autism with 40 children either typically developing or with developmental delays. Results indicated that the lack of hand preference in children with autism was not a function of their cognitive delay or a lack of motor skills. Results supported the bilateral brain…

This review examines studies published since 1995 on use of Facilitated Communication (FC) with individuals with autism. Findings support conclusions of previous reviews that proponents' claims are largely unsubstantiated. It also critiques and discounts the claims of two studies purporting to offer empirical evidence of FC efficacy using control…

This critical review examines 10 controlled studies in which traditional operant behavioral procedures were compared with normalized interventions for teaching language to young children with autism. It concluded that normalized language training was substantially more effective than discrete-trial training and yielded more positive parental…

British parents (n=141) participating in an intensive home-based behavioral intervention for a child with autism completed a questionnaire addressing issues of stress, coping, and support. Results showed that parents' stress levels were predicted mainly by psychological rather than demographic variables. Adaptive coping strategies, informal social…

This study examined the moderating effects of peer social avoidance on responses of six autistic children to an inclusive classroom treatment model. Peer social avoidance (but not mental age or language level) predicted variations in outcomes for subsequent peer avoidance and language use. Results have implications for matching child…

Two studies evaluated the 10-question Nylander questionnaire as a screening test for autism among adults in British psychiatric hospitals. Both studies found high inter-rater reliability and no false negatives, but the studies resulted in an unacceptably high rate of false positives. (Contains 3 references.) (DB)

This study compared judgments of social appropriateness to videotaped scenes by children and adolescents with (n=19) and without (n=19) autism. The non-autism group detected inappropriate behaviors significantly more often than the autism group for verbal but not nonverbal scenes. Groups also differed in the reasons given for their judgments in…

This study evaluated computer assisted instruction in social skills using hypothetical animated social situations. Evaluation with eight preschool children with autism (and eight matched normal children) suggested the program's potential for teaching problem-solving skills to children with and without autism. Children with autism were…