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Characteristics of toddlers with early versus later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Characteristics of toddlers with early versus later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder

Lauren E Miller, Yael G Dai, Deborah A Fein and Diana L Robins
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, v 25(2), pp 416-428
Feb 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320959507
PMID: 32981352
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7870497View
Accepted (AM)Open Access (License Unspecified),  Open

Abstract

Adult Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis Autistic Disorder Child, Preschool Communication Delayed Diagnosis Early Diagnosis Humans Mass Screening
The emergence of autism symptoms in childhood is variable, with some children showing signs of autism spectrum disorder very early, and others not being identified until much later. Although most children in the United States are not diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder until preschool, at ages 3-4 years, symptoms can be reliably detected at 14 months. It is less certain how those toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder earlier versus later differ from each other clinically. This study revealed that young children diagnosed later in development, between ages 25 and 41 months, are more impaired on measures of cognitive, adaptive, and social functioning than their counterparts who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder earlier. All young children with autism spectrum disorder are impaired in communication to a similar degree, however. Universal autism screening at 18 months may identify toddlers with autism spectrum disorder when their symptoms are milder and more readily amenable to intervention. Repeated screening at 24 months is supported to detect those children missed by an earlier screening, who may be more severely affected. Caregivers should be encouraged to pursue diagnostic evaluation at an initial positive screening result to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment.

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21 Record Views
31 citations in Web of Science
33 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Psychology, Developmental
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