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Predictors of Optimal Outcome in Toddlers Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is usually taken to be permanent. In this study, 13 two-year-old children with ASD lost the diagnosis by age 4, at which time they scored within the normal range on standardized measures of cognitive and adaptive functioning. No differences were found in symptom severity, socialization, or communication between children who lost the ASD diagnosis and children who did not, but children with PDD-NOS were significantly more likely than those with full autistic disorder to move off the spectrum. The clearest distinguishing factor was motor skills at age 2. Results support the idea that some toddlers with ASD can lose their diagnosis and suggest that this is difficult to predict.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Development (5 R01 HD39961), the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (5 R40 MC00270), the National Association for Autism Research, and the UCONN Research Foundation. In addition, the authors would like to thank the many graduate students and undergraduate research assistants who have assisted with this project, and the children and their families who have participated in this project.

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Author notes

  1. Diana L. Robins

    Present address: Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA

    Saasha Sutera, Juhi Pandey, Emma L. Esser, Michael A. Rosenthal, Leandra B. Wilson, Marianne Barton, James Green, Sarah Hodgson, Diana L. Robins, Thyde Dumont-Mathieu & Deborah Fein

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  1. Saasha Sutera
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  2. Juhi Pandey
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  3. Emma L. Esser
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  4. Michael A. Rosenthal
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  6. Marianne Barton
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  7. James Green
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  9. Diana L. Robins
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  11. Deborah Fein
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Correspondence to Saasha Sutera.

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Sutera, S., Pandey, J., Esser, E.L. et al. Predictors of Optimal Outcome in Toddlers Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 37, 98–107 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0340-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0340-6

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