The goal of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of a live-coded behavioral measure of joint attention, the "Attention-Following and Initiating Joint Attention Protocol" (JA Protocol), in order to assist researchers and clinicians in identifying when this measure may meet their joint attention assessment needs. Data from…

Although research in autism has grown more sophisticated, the gap between research knowledge and applicability of research in real world settings has grown. There have been a number of different reviews of evidence-based practices of treatments for young children with autism. Reviews which have critically evaluated the empirical evidence have not…

This paper reviews the literature examining social skills training (SST) programs for youth with AS/HFA, with an emphasis on critically evaluating efficacy and highlighting areas of future research. The review highlights the disparity between SST programs described in the extant literature, including lack of a universal definition of social…

Patterns of sensory abnormalities in children and adults with autism were examined using the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO). This interview elicits detailed information about responsiveness to a wide range of sensory stimuli. Study 1 showed that over 90% of children with autism had sensory abnormalities and had…

Available information is reviewed on defining features and diagnostic issues related to autism and related developmental disorders. Controversies over both the boundaries and the heterogeneity within the autism syndrome are evaluated. Diagnostic rating instruments for expediting systematic sample selection are critiqued. (Author/DB)

The paper summarizes experimental evidence supporting a neurological theory which posits that autism, at least partially, represents a disruptive overactivation of hypersensitization of neurohormone systems in the brain, such as brain opioids. These substances modulate social-emotional processes. (Author/DB)

The hypothesis that autistics may experience a degree of stimulus overload was supported by an experiment in which visual event-related potentials and cognitive effects were recorded for five male autistic children (ages 6-14 years) and five matched controls. (DB)

Criteria to differentiate speaking from nonspeaking autistic preschool children were examined with 10 nonspeaking and 10 speaking children who were followed from age four-and-a-half to late childhood. Total developmental quotient; subscale scores of intellectual, selfcare, and motor ability; and several speech production factors distinguished…

The study examined the use of primary sentence stress by seven preschool autistic children with mean length of utterance (MLU) scores between 1.9 and 4.1 morphemes with normal and aphasic subjects serving as controls. Differences were seen in the number of correct responses and in the pattern of stress misassignment. (Author/DB)

The follow-up study reports data from a population-based series of 23 Swedish children diagnosed in childhood as suffering from infantile autism and other childhood psychoses and followed through to the ages of 16-23 years. Intelligence quotient at diagnosis and communicative speech development before six years were the most important prognostic…

A method for empirical classification of autistic and autisticlike children, based on behavior observations of 35 males and 11 females (ages 4-28 years) was examined. Factor and cluster analysis indicated four subtypes, characterized by perseverative thinking and play, motor disturbances, schizotypal/schizoid features, and anxiety and negativism.…

Results of evaluating effects of fenfluramine on 21 maladaptive behaviors in 20 autistic individuals (from 9 to 30 years old) over a 9-month period using a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled design indicated no significant reductions in maladaptive behaviors and the presence of negative side effects. (Author/DB)

Auditory evoked responses (AERs) were recorded for 16 autistic children (ages 2-10 years) and age matched normal and retarded controls. The pattern characterizing the effects on AERs of coupling sound and light (conditioning phenomenon) was observed for both autistic and normal controls, but not for retarded children. (Author/DB)

Nine autistic children (ages 7-14) were treated with fenfluramine hydrochloride or inactive placebo in a double-blind crossover trial. Results, while providing minimal support for the effectiveness of fenfluramine, also suggested the possibility that fenfluramine blood levels might be related to treatment response. (Author/DB)

Analysis of diagnostic questionnaires completed by Japanese parents of 141 autistic children below the age of 12 found that the Japanese peak of abnormal social behavior, including autistic symptoms as reported by parents, was from the ages of 3 to 9 years as compared with the U.S. and European peak of 3 to 6 years. (Author/DB)