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A Prospective Case Series of High-risk Infants who Developed Autism

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Abstract

The present paper documents the development of autism/autistic spectrum disorder in a consecutive series of nine high-risk infants followed prospectively from 6 months of age. Evidence is provided for two broadly defined subgroups: the first subgroup (n = 6) showed a decrease in IQ between 12 and 24 or 36 months (from average/near average to severe cognitive impairment), whereas the second subgroup (n = 3) continued to obtain average or near average IQs. Signs of autism emerged and/or were more striking earlier in the first subgroup. In all nine children, early impairment in social-communicative development coexisted with atypical sensory and/or motor behaviors, as did a temperamental profile marked by irritability/distress and dysregulated state. Discussion focuses on issues raised by the pattern of findings.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Alliance for Autism Research. We thank Beth Adams and Ann Wainwright for their assistance in data collection, and Krista Mleczko-Skerry for assisting with the preparation of this manuscript. We are also grateful to all the participating families for their generous contributions to this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Autism Research Centre, IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie University, 5850 University Avenue, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3K 6R8

    Susan E. Bryson

  2. Child Psychiatry, Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Lonnie Zwaigenbaum & Peter Szatmari

  3. Bloorview Kids Rehab, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Jessica Brian & Wendy Roberts

  4. University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Wendy Roberts

  5. North York General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Vicki Rombough

  6. York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Catherine McDermott

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  1. Susan E. Bryson
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  7. Catherine McDermott
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Correspondence to Susan E. Bryson.

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Bryson, S.E., Zwaigenbaum, L., Brian, J. et al. A Prospective Case Series of High-risk Infants who Developed Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 37, 12–24 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0328-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0328-2

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