Developmental regression is a complex phenomenon which occurs in 20-49% of the autistic population. Aim of the study was to assess possible differences in the development of regressed and non-regressed autistic preschoolers. We longitudinally studied 40 autistic children (18 regressed, 22 non-regressed) aged 2-6 years. The following developmental areas were considered fundamental in the first years of life, and were assessed at ages 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6: receptive and expressive language, communicative and request modalities, play activities, and mental age. Children who regressed showed lower mean performances than those who did not regress and, in the time intervals considered, non-regressed children improved their ratings in the above mentioned variables significantly more than regressed children.

The purpose of this study was to examine adaptive behaviour profiles in children with autism and moderate to severe developmental delay. Previous research has found that children with autism present a characteristic pattern of adaptive behaviour, as measured by the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) (deficit in the domain of socialization, relative deficit in the domain of communication and relative strength in the domain of daily living). In this study VABS were administered (as part of a comprehensive evaluation of abilities) to a sample of 50 children with moderate to severe developmental delay (23 children with autism and 27 chronological and developmental age matched non-autistic children). Contrary to initial predictions, the sample presented fairly homogeneous adaptive behaviour profiles. Results are discussed with respect to the effectiveness of adaptive behaviour profiles in the detection of autism and the importance of employing limited chronological and developmental age ranges in the study of autism in infancy.

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This article presents case studies on metaphor comprehension in two boys with high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder, aged 9;1 (9 years, 1 month) and 8;11. The participants were assessed twice, before and after an intervention program aimed at improving their social skills. The focus of the article is on the specific patterns exhibited by each child in a test of metaphor comprehension that elicits verbal explanation of metaphors, and is targeted at 4-6-year-old typically developing children. The two children had age-appropriate cognitive and verbal abilities, as measured by WISC-III and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. At the first assessment, performance on both children was within the average range of typically developing 5-year-old children, but they differed in their patterns of response. At the second time of assessment both the children's performance had improved, but each in a different manner. The discussion reconsiders the qualitative aspects emerging from the assessments performed at the two time points of the study, raises theoretical issues about metaphor comprehension, and points to possible implications for diagnosis and intervention