This study validates the existence of early autistic regression.

The aims of the present study were to describe variations in the early course of development in autism by utilizing an in-depth parent interview that incorporated techniques to improve accuracy of parent recall, and to examine the relation between variations in early developmental course in autism and behavioral outcome at 3-4 years of age. The Early Development Interview, which consisted of questions about child's behavior in several domains from birth through 2 years of age, was created and administered to parents of 72 3-4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder and 34 3-4-year-old children with developmental delay, who were matched on mental and chronological age, and 39 1-4-year-old typically developing children, who were matched to the clinical groups on mental age. At 3-4 years of age, children were administered standardized measures (some clinician administered and some parent report); these included verbal and nonverbal IQ, autism symptom severity, and adaptive and aberrant behavior. Based on the Early Development Interview, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were reported to have elevated symptoms in the social and regulatory domains by 3-6 months. By 12-15 months, parents of children with ASD reported significantly higher levels of social symptoms than parents of children with developmental delay. At 3-4 years of age, children with autism with early vs. late onset of symptoms, and with vs. without a history of loss of skills (regression) were not found to differ on standardized tests of verbal and nonverbal IQ and observational measures of autism symptom severity.

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Objective The onset of autism is usually conceptualized as occurring in one of two patterns, an early onset and a regressive pattern. This study examined the number and shape of trajectories of symptom onset evident in coded home movies of children with autism and examined their correspondence with parent report of onset. Methods Four social-communicative behaviors were coded from the home video of children with autism (n = 52) or typical development (n = 23). All home video from 6 through 24 months of age was coded (3199 segments). Latent class modeling was used to characterize trajectories and determine the optimal number needed to describe the coded home video. These trajectories were then compared to parent report of onset patterns, as defined by the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. Results A three trajectory model best fit the data from the participants with autism. One trajectory displayed low levels of social-communication across time. A second trajectory displayed high levels of social-communication early in life, followed by a significant decline over time. A third trajectory displayed initial levels of behavior that were similar to the typically developing group, but little progress in social-communication with age. There was poor correspondence between home video-based trajectories and parent report of onset. Conclusions More than two onset categories may be needed to describe the ways in which symptoms emerge in children with autism. There is low agreement between parent report and home video, suggesting that methods for improving parent report of early development must be developed.

Mutigenerational households that include grandmothers and adult mothers caring for grandchildren are increasingly common. The influence, however, of mother‐grandmother relationship quality and grandmothers' parenting on grandchildren's social development remains largely unexplored in these three‐generation households. This study examines linkages among caregiver depressive symptoms, mother‐grandmother verbal conflict, observed parenting, and 36‐month‐old grandchildren's problem and prosocial behaviors among a subsample from the Family Life Project (N = 85) consisting of economically disadvantaged multigenerational families. The findings suggest that mother‐grandmother relationship conflict presents a risk to children's behavior directly and indirectly via mothers' negative parenting behaviors. Mothers seem to be more influenced by the mother‐grandmother relationship than grandmothers. These results highlight the importance of including mother‐grandmother conflict in mutigenerational families in family assessments and interventions.

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Background Disordered eating (DE) is a growing problem among all athletes, particularly adolescents. To help prevent the progression of DE to a clinical eating disorder (ED), a brief screening tool could offer an efficient method for early identification of DE in athletes and facilitate treatment. The aim of this study is to validate a screening tool for DE that will identify male and female adolescent athletes of all sports and levels of competition who are at risk for DE. The Disordered Eating Screen for Athletes (DESA-6) consists of only 6 items and was designed for use in both male and female athlete populations. Methods Validation involved two phases: Phase I consisted of screening high school athletes using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the DESA-6; and Phase II included inviting all high school athletes categorized as “at risk” after screening, plus age- and self-reported gender- matched athletes categorized as not “at risk”, to complete the same surveys a second time along with clinical interview. Validity and regression analyses were used to compare the DESA-6 to the EAT-26 and EDE 17.0D. Results When comparing to clinical interview, the DESA-6 had a total sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 85.96%, respectively. Upon comparison of concurrent validity, Phase II DESA-6 had a strong significant positive correlation for both males and females when compared to Phase II EDE 17.0D. Conclusions A brief, easy to administer screening tool for recognizing DE that can be used by physicians, psychologists, athletic trainers, registered dietitians, and other sport/healthcare staff is of utmost importance for early intervention, which can lead to improved treatment outcomes. The DESA-6 is a promising tool for risk assessment of DE in athletes.