Use of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT) for children under 24 months: an exploratory study.

The study examined the properties of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT) for children under 24 months. The STAT provides a standard context for observing social-communicative behavior in play, imitation, and communication. Seventy-one children received the STAT between 12 and 23 months of age and a follow-up diagnostic evaluation after 24 months.

Early social-communicative and cognitive development of younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Objective: To compare the early social-communicative development of younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) with that of younger siblings of children with typical development, using parental report and child-based measures.

Design: Group comparison.

Setting: Vanderbilt University, between July 1, 2003, and July 31, 2006.