Early diagnosis of autism in the community is associated with marked improvement in social symptoms within 1-2 years.

ABSTRACT:

Lay abstract

It is widely believed that early diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder is essential for better outcome. This is demonstrated by the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to screen all 1.5-2.5-year-old toddlers for autism spectrum disorder. However, multiple longitudinal studies of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at 1.5-6 years of age and treated in community settings have not reported any associations between earlier diagnosis and improved outcome in core autism spectrum disorder symptoms. In this study, we measured changes in core autism spectrum disorder symptoms over a 1-2-year period in 131 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at 1.2-5 years of age, and treated in the community. The results revealed that children w

SUBMITTER: Gabbay-Dizdar N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9340129 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature