Where are they now? An autism follow‐up study

Aim To explore the stability of diagnosis and the relationship between behavioural, adaptive and developmental skills in early to middle childhood in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods Fifty‐four children recruited to the study were diagnosed with ASD before 42 months. Outcomes at...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of paediatrics and child health 2021-02, Vol.57 (2), p.251-257
Main Authors: McDonald, Jenny, Milne, Susan, Masi, Anne, Zieba, Jerzy, Eapen, Valsamma
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
adaptation
Adaptation, Psychological
Autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autistic children
Autistic Disorder
Behavior
Child
Child development
cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Medical diagnosis
Pediatrics
psychological
Wechsler Scales
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Aim To explore the stability of diagnosis and the relationship between behavioural, adaptive and developmental skills in early to middle childhood in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods Fifty‐four children recruited to the study were diagnosed with ASD before 42 months. Outcomes at follow‐up after a mean interval of 64 months were measured using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Vineland‐II adaptive scale and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and parental survey data. Scores before school were compared with follow‐up data through descriptive, correlational and multiple regression analyses. Results ASD was confirmed in all children at follow‐up (mean age 10 years). Fifty‐eight percent of children were enrolled in a supported educational class or school and 42% were taking a psychotropic medication. Adaptive function improved significantly in 19% of children. Developmental and adaptive behavioural scores before school correlated with cognitive, behaviour and adaptive assessments at follow‐up. Conclusion At follow‐up, the diagnosis was confirmed in all children. The children showed gains in their adaptive skills but and many required ongoing educational and behavioural support. Early developmental and adaptive assessments reliably predicted later educational support needs, cognitive and adaptive function and are a useful component of a diagnostic assessment.
ISSN:1034-4810
1440-1754
DOI:10.1111/jpc.15193