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Head Circumference as an Early Predictor of Autism Symptoms in Younger Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Siblings of children with autism have an increased risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). As children with autism often exhibit an atypical trajectory of head circumference (HC) growth, HC may be an indicator of vulnerability to autism. This study investigated whether infant siblings of children with ASD (n = 77) with an atypical trajectory of HC growth were more likely than those without an atypical HC trajectory to develop autism symptoms. Results showed that infants who had larger HC at 12 months, and whose HC growth rate decelerated more rapidly between 12 and 24 months were more likely to exhibit autism symptoms than infants with more typical HC trajectories. Among infant siblings of children with autism, atypical HC growth might alert pediatricians to provide screening and/or referral for further evaluation.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the children and parents who participated in this study. This research was funded by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U19HD34565, P50HD066782, and R01HD-55741) and the National Institute of Mental Health (U54MH066399; R01HD039961).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Autism Center, University of Washington, Box 357920, Seattle, WA, USA

    Lauren M. Elder & Geraldine Dawson

  2. Children’s Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA

    Karen Toth

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Deborah Fein

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Autism Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Geraldine Dawson & Jeff Munson

Authors
  1. Lauren M. Elder
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  2. Geraldine Dawson
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  3. Karen Toth
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  4. Deborah Fein
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  5. Jeff Munson
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Correspondence to Geraldine Dawson.

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Elder, L.M., Dawson, G., Toth, K. et al. Head Circumference as an Early Predictor of Autism Symptoms in Younger Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 38, 1104–1111 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0495-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0495-9

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