title: Children with autism spectrum disorders who do not develop phrase speech in the preschool years.
abstract: There is uncertainty about the proportion of children with autism spectrum disorders who do not develop phrase speech during the preschool years. The main purpose of this study was to examine this ratio in a population-based community sample of children. The cohort consisted of 165 children (141 boys, 24 girls) with autism spectrum disorders aged 4-6 years followed longitudinally over 2 years during which time they had received intervention at a specialized autism center. In this study, data collected at the 2-year follow-up were used. Three categories of expressive language were defined: nonverbal, minimally verbal, and phrase speech. Data from the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II were used to classify expressive language. A secondary objective of the study was to analyze factors that might be linked to verbal ability, namely, child age, cognitive level, autism subtype and severity of core autism symptoms, developmental regression, epilepsy or other medical conditions, and intensity of intervention. The proportion of children who met the criteria for nonverbal, minimally verbal, and phrase speech were 15%, 10%, and 75%, respectively. The single most important factor linked to expressive language was the child's cognitive level, and all children classified as being nonverbal or minimally verbal had intellectual disability.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden University of Gothenburg, Sweden fritjof.norrelgen@karolinska.se.
authors.forename: Fritjof
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Norrelgen
authors.affiliation: University of Gothenburg, Sweden Skaraborg Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernell
authors.affiliation: Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden University of Gothenburg, Sweden Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.affiliation: Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Åsa
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Hedvall
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sjölin
authors.affiliation: University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gillberg
authors.affiliation: Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden University of Gothenburg, Sweden Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
authors.forename: Liselotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kjellmer
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007804:Language Development; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013060:Speech
keywords: Vineland; autism; intellectual disability; minimally verbal; nonverbal; preschool