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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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