Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is a topic receiving great attention from researchers and clinicians in the field. However, many of these studies focus on children or adults, with research on infants and toddlers evincing ASD being virtually non-existent. Even more scant is information pertaining to the assessment of symptoms of comorbid…

The purpose of this study was to investigate symptoms of comorbid disorders in infants and toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Research is scant on symptoms of co-occurring mental health conditions in this very young population. Method: Three hundred and twenty four participants were included in this study. Participants were classified…

Early identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is now considered best practice in the field of developmental disabilities. Despite calls by national pediatric organizations and others for routine screening in young children, such recommendations have been hard to implement in practice. One of the major unresolved problems is the need for…

The success of early intervention programs has in large part spurred increasing emphasis on identifying children with autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) at the earliest possible ages. National and international professional groups have called for early screening and diagnosis, yet the technology to…

A limited number of studies currently exist focusing on comorbid psychopathology of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Due to the heterogeneity of ASD symptoms, communication deficits, and impairments in intellectual functioning, assessing symptoms of psychopathology is complicated. The "Autism Spectrum Disorders-Comorbidity for…

Researchers and clinicians have generally agreed that persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are susceptible to other DSM Axis I disorders. However, to date, little has been done to establish the specific disorders, their rate and severity of occurrence, and their interrelationship with ASD symptoms. One reason for the lack of research has…

Asperger's syndrome has gained tremendous recognition and popularity in the last 20 years. However, controversy around the nature of the disorder, whether it is distinct from high functioning autism, and whether it can be reliably and validly diagnosed has continued throughout this period unabated. Fortunately, there has been a strong tradition of…

Rett Syndrome is one of the least commonly occurring autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but certainly one of the most devastating. A genetic profile has been identified, but checklists still have an important role for prescreening, especially before expensive genetic testing, and to provide precise strengths and weaknesses with respect to the core…

PDDNOS is a particularly important form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to the frequency with which it is diagnosed. Having said that, it is often diagnosed by what it is not (not autism) as opposed to what it is. And, while PDDNOS is likely to be more common than autism, studies on PDDNOS are much less frequent. Perhaps with the exception…

Establishing the cut-off scores for Autism Spectrum Disorder-Diagnostic (ASD-DA) scale for adults with intellectual disability (ID) and autism or PDD-NOS was the primary goal of this investigation. The aim of Study 1 was to determine if the ASD-DA was able to differentiate between adults with ID with and without an autism spectrum disorder, and to…