Infantile Autism Reviewed: A Decade of Research

Abstract

Progress in the study of infantile autism over the past 10 years was reviewed in terms of classification and diagnosis, relation to other disorders, demographics, parental characteristics, genetics, intelligence, language, perceptual processes, behavioral characteristics, neurobiological, biochemical and pharmacological aspects, behavioral/educational treatment methodologies, prognosis, and theoretical considerations. This decade's research led to the now generally accepted position that infantile autism is a type of developmental disorder accompanied by severe and, to a large extent, permanent intellectual/behavioral deficits. However, its relationship to other forms of developmental disorders and to mental retardation remains to be delineated. Perceptual/cognitive/language defects appear central to the autistic syndrome, but the specific underlying mechanisms are unknown. Most studies indicate that autistic children have more signs of brain dysfunction than do normal children and about the same number as mentally retarded children. The overwhelming evidence suggests that te treatment of choice for maximal benefit to autistic children is a systematic, intrusive behavioral/educational approach. Yet, in spite of significant gains in almost all children treated, the typical prognostic picture is poor in terms of achieving self-supportive adulthood. The parents of autistic children have been found to be essentially similar to parents of children with organic brain disorders, and manifest no psychopathology which conceivably could induce the disorder. The vast majority of theoretical articles appearing in the 1970s proposed some from of neurobiological defect as the causative factor in autism. One of the major goals for future research is to undertake more extensive comparative studies on nonautistic brain dysfunctional children and autistic children that could yield cleared differential behavioral profiles and testable neurobiological hypotheses.

Teaching Young Nonverbal Children with Autism Useful Speech: A Pilot Study of the Denver Model and PROMPT Interventions

“…The question of motor dysfunction in autism has a long history. As a result of her studies of imitation in autism, DeMyer and colleagues (1972) suggested that dyspraxia may be part of the syndrome, severely affecting communication, adaptive behavior, and learning through limiting imitation of other people, causing a severe level of disability (DeMyer, Hingtgen, & Jackson, 1981). While the question of motor dysfunction has been raised sporadically in the autism literature (Damasio & Maurer, 1978;Ohta, 1987) Teaching young nonverbal children 8 since DeMyer's original observations, little attention was paid to the motor question until the past decade.…”

Sensory Sensitivities and Performance on Sensory Perceptual Tasks in High-functioning Individuals with Autism

“…In the most recent revisions to the diagnostic system, clinical features associated with autism include "odd responses to sensory stimuli" (e.g., high pain tolerance, over-sensitivity to sound or touch, and excessive reaction to light or odors) (DSM-IV-TR: American Psychiatric Association, 2000). DeMyer, Hingtgen, and Jackson (1981) …”

Language outcomes of toddlers with autism spectrum disorders: a two year follow‐up

“…Many young children diagnosed with ASD go on to show significant deficits in academic achievement and independent living [Howlin, 2005], but others can achieve age-appropriate levels of function [Kelley, Paul, & Fein, 2006;Nordin & Gilberg, 1998;Sigman, 1999;Sutera et al, 2007;Toth, Munson, Meltzoff, & Dawson, 2006]. One of the most reliable predictors of positive outcome in ASD is the acquisition of spoken language by the end of the preschool period [DeMyer, Hingtgen, & Jackson, 1981;Gillberg, 1991;Howlin, 2005;Paul & Cohen, 1984].…”

“…Because of the known connection between language development and prognosis in ASD [DeMyer et al, 1981;Howlin, 2005;Rutter, Greenfield, & Lockyer, 1967], several studies have looked for social-communicative behaviors in early-identified children that are related to language outcome in the preschool period. Several studies have examined relations between the acquisition of vocabulary and earlier-appearing behaviors.…”