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Differences in Autism Symptoms Between Minority and Non-Minority Toddlers

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Abstract

Little is known about whether early symptom presentation differs in toddlers with ASD from ethnic minority versus non-minority backgrounds. Within a treatment study for toddlers with ASD, we compared 19 minority to 65 Caucasian children and their parents on variables obtained from the Mullen Scales of Early Learning, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, and Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Caregiver Questionnaire. The majority of parents were from the upper classes irrespective of ethnic membership. Minority children had lower scores in language, communication, and gross motor than non-minority children. Findings indicate that subtle communication delays may be undetected or presumed unremarkable by parents of minority toddlers, and that more significant delays are needed to prompt the search for intervention services.

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Abbreviations

ASD:

Autism spectrum disorders

DSM IV-TR:

Diagnostic and statistical manual IV, text revision

CSBS DP:

Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile

ADOS:

Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule

SES:

Socio-economic status

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the toddlers and families who participated in this study. We also thank the research staff at the Kennedy Krieger REACH laboratory in the Center for Autism and Related Disorders who contributed to this project through scheduling, data organization, data collection, and data processing. Rebecca Landa, principal investigator, thanks the National Institute of Mental Health for support of her research through grant #154MH066417, the Maternal and Child Health Research Program—Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Combatting Autism Act), Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services the Health Resources and Services Administration grant R40 MC 15594, and the Krieger Foundation for their funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 3901 Greenspring Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21211, USA

    Saime Tek & Rebecca J. Landa

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  1. Saime Tek
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  2. Rebecca J. Landa
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Correspondence to Rebecca J. Landa.

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Tek, S., Landa, R.J. Differences in Autism Symptoms Between Minority and Non-Minority Toddlers. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 1967–1973 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1445-8

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