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Follow-up of Children Diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Stability and Change During the Preschool Years

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Abstract

Forty-one children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) receiving eclectic services were assessed twice during their preschool years. Measures were compared over time for the whole group and for diagnostic subgroups: Childhood autism (CA group) and Other PDDs group. The mean intelligence quotient/developmental quotient (IQ/DQ) of the whole group was stable (P = 0.209) and scores on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) decreased (P = 0.001). At time 2, the CA group was more impaired than the other PDDs group: autistic symptoms were more severe (P = 0.01), adaptive behavior scores were lower (P = 0.014), and a trend for lower IQ/DQs (P = 0.06). Children in this study seemed to fare better than reported in previous follow-up studies on children with autism.

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Acknowledgments

The research project was supported by the Freemasons Fund of the Icelandic Order of Freemasons. The authors thank their colleagues at the State Diagnostic and Counseling Center for their assistance with data collection, and the director for his support. We also thank Páll Magnússon and Vilhjálmur Rafnsson for their valuable comments.

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Jónsdóttir, S.L., Saemundsen, E., Ásmundsdóttir, G. et al. Follow-up of Children Diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Stability and Change During the Preschool Years. J Autism Dev Disord 37, 1361–1374 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0282-z

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