title: Studying the emergence of autism spectrum disorders in high-risk infants: methodological and practical issues.
abstract: Detecting early signs of autism is essential for timely diagnosis and initiation of effective interventions. Several research groups have initiated prospective studies of high-risk populations including infant siblings, to systematically collect data on early signs within a longitudinal design. Despite the potential advantages of prospective studies of young children at high-risk for autism, there are also significant methodological, ethical and practical challenges. This paper outlines several of these challenges, including those related to sampling (e.g., defining appropriate comparison groups), measurement and clinical implications (e.g., addressing the needs of infants suspected of having early signs). We suggest possible design and implementation strategies to address these various challenges, based on current research efforts in the field and previous studies involving high-risk populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. zwaigenb@mcmaster.ca
authors.forename: Lonnie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zwaigenbaum
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thurm
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baranek
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bryson
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iverson
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kau
authors.forename: Ami
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klin
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Landa
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sigman
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002657:Child Development; D003625:Data Collection; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D035781:Siblings