ERIC Number: EJ1160203
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Dec
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: N/A
Autism Spectrum Disorders and Low Mental Age: Diagnostic Stability and Developmental Outcomes in Early Childhood
Hinnebusch, Alexander J.; Miller, Lauren E.; Fein, Deborah A.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v47 n12 p3967-3982 Dec 2017
Some children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) exhibit low mental age (Low-MA; i.e., cognitive functioning below 12 months). We examined diagnosis, symptom severity, and development in children with ASD-low MA (n = 25), autistic disorder (n = 111), and PDD-NOS (n = 82) at ages two and four. We predicted that some ASD-low MA children would demonstrate just intellectual impairment and not autism symptoms on follow-up, with social deficits at age two attributable to global delays. Instead, most ASD-low MA children (96%) had an ASD at follow-up, compared to children initially diagnosed with autistic disorder (86.5%) or PDD-NOS (73.2%). They showed the least developmental progress and highest symptom severity. Results support diagnosing ASDs in children functioning below a 12-month level.
Descriptors: Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Clinical Diagnosis, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Severity (of Disability), Child Development, Age Differences, Young Children, Predictor Variables, Intellectual Disability, Interpersonal Competence, Developmental Delays
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH); Health Resources and Services Administration (DHHS), Maternal and Child Health Bureau
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01HD039961; R40MC00270