Can autism be predicted on the basis of infant screening tests?
The authors examined infant hearing and vision screening tests for a group of children subsequently diagnosed as autistic and compared them with a group of children suffering from non-specific developmental delay, as well as with a random sample of records. Four categories (motor, vision, hearing and language, social) were investigated at three ages: six, 12 and 18 months. The random sample group had a low incidence of reported problems at all ages. The learning-disabled group had a sharp increase in reported abnormalities in all categories at 12 months. The autistic group had a selective increase in the social category alone at 18 months.
Johnson
M H
MH
MRC Cognitive Development Unit, London.
Siddons
F
F
Frith
U
U
Morton
J
J
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015351:Vision Screening