Measuring the association between behavioural services and outcomes in young children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) receive a wide range of services.

Aims: To examine the association between behavioural services received by children with ASD between ages 2 and 5 years and outcomes during primary school years.

Methods: A total of 414 preschool-aged children diagnosed with ASD were enrolled at five Canadian sites and were assessed within four months of diagnosis (T1), six months later (T2), 12 months later (T3), at school entry (T4), and then annually (T5-T8) to 11 years of age.

Developmental cascades between insistence on sameness behaviour and anxiety symptoms in autism spectrum disorder.

Autistic children experience high rates of anxiety. Insistence on sameness behaviour (IS) is a core feature of autism that appears correlated with anxiety severity. The objective of this study was to examine the longitudinal relations between anxiety and IS in autistic children using a developmental cascade model.

Middle-childhood executive functioning mediates associations between early-childhood autism symptoms and adolescent mental health, academic and functional outcomes in autistic children.

Background: Executive functioning (EF) varies in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is associated with clinical symptoms, academic, and adaptive functioning. Here, we examined whether middle-childhood EF mediates associations between early-childhood autism symptoms and adolescent outcomes in children with ASD.

Methods: The Pathways in ASD Cohort comprising children recruited at the time of ASD diagnosis (at 2-4 years-of-age) and followed prospectively across eight subsequent timepoints over ~10 years was used.

Trajectories of Symptom Severity in Children with Autism: Variability and Turning Points through the Transition to School.

This study examined the trajectories of autistic symptom severity in an inception cohort of 187 children with ASD assessed across four time points from diagnosis to age 10. Trajectory groups were derived using multivariate cluster analysis. A two trajectory/cluster solution was selected.

Co-occurring trajectories of anxiety and insistence on sameness behaviour in autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased susceptibility to anxiety disorders. Variation in a common ASD symptom, insistence on sameness behaviour, may predict future anxiety symptoms.

Aims: To describe the joint heterogeneous longitudinal trajectories of insistence on sameness and anxiety in children with ASD and to characterise subgroups at higher risk for anxiety.

Temperament influences the relationship between symptom severity and adaptive functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Temperament is often thought of as behavioural traits that are relatively stable over time but can vary between individuals. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder are often characterized as having 'reactive' and 'negative' temperaments when compared to same-aged peers with or without disabilities, which can negatively impact the development of adaptive functioning skills but little is known about variations of temperament between individual children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This study aimed to (a) explore the variation of individual temperament traits within a sample of school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder to determine whether subgroups with similar trait profiles emerge and (b) examine whether temperament influences the relationship between autism symptoms and adaptive functioning outcomes.

Profiles and Predictors of Academic and Social School Functioning among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

: The purpose of the study was to identify profiles and predictors of academic and social functioning in a sample of school-age children with autism spectrum disorder.: The study included 178 children (88% boys, 75% Caucasian, ages 10-11) who completed a standardized measure of academic skills and whose teachers completed a related measure. Measures of both academic and social performance were used to construct profiles of school functioning.

Factor analysis of the children's sleep habits questionnaire among preschool children with autism spectrum disorder.

Background: Sleep problems are prevalent among young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) is commonly used for assessment, but there are outstanding questions regarding its optimal measurement model.

Aims: To examine the factor structure of the CSHQ in preschool children with ASD, and relationships between CSHQ factors and children's emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dysregulation.

Repetitive Behavior Severity as an Early Indicator of Risk for Elevated Anxiety Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Objective: A significant proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will develop an anxiety disorder during childhood. Restricted and repetitive behavior severity in ASD positively correlates with anxiety severity in cross-sectional surveys. The longitudinal relationship between restricted/repetitive behavior and future anxiety symptoms is unclear.

Predictors of longer-term development of expressive language in two independent longitudinal cohorts of language-delayed preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Studies estimate that 30% of individuals with autism are minimally verbal. Understanding what factors predict longer-term expressive development in children with language delays is critical to inform identification and treatment of those at-risk for persistent language impairments. The present study examined predictors of expressive language development in language-delayed preschoolers followed through later school-age and young adulthood.

Developmental Trajectories of Feeding Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Objective: Although feeding problems are a common concern in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), few longitudinal studies have examined their persistence over time. The purpose of this study was to examine the developmental progression of feeding problems across four time points in preschoolers with ASD.

Methods: Group-based trajectory analyses revealed four distinct trajectories of feeding problems in our sample (N = 396).

Developmental functioning and symptom severity influence age of diagnosis in Canadian preschool children with autism.

Background: Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is essential in most Canadian jurisdictions to access interventions that improve long-term child outcomes. Our main objective was to identify factors associated with timing of ASD diagnosis in five provinces across Canada.

Methods: Factors influencing age of diagnosis were assessed in the analyses of an inception cohort of children diagnosed with ASD between ages 2 and 5 years.

Gender Differences in Pragmatic Communication in School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Possible gender differences in manifestations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were examined using data on production of narratives. The Expression, Reception and Recall of Narrative Instrument (ERRNI; Bishop, Expression, Reception and Recall of Narrative Instrument, Harcourt assessment, London, 2004) was administered to a sample of matched 8-year-old intellectually able boys and girls with ASD (13M, 13F), who had been selected from a large, longitudinal study. In addition, transcripts of the narratives were analyzed in detail.

Psychometric Properties of the Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development in Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Psychometrically sound tests of intellectual ability are indispensable for research and assessment of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet few tests have been validated for use with this population. The Merrill-Palmer-Revised Scales of Development (M-P-R) is a standardized test of intellectual ability that was validated for use with typically developing preschoolers. The current study's aim was to investigate the criterion validity of the M-P-R for assessing cognitive skills in preschoolers with ASD ( = 180).

Correction to: Profiles of Social and Coping Resources in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Relations to Parent and Child Outcomes.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Profiles of Social and Coping Resources in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Relations to Parent and Child Outcomes.

This study described empirically derived profiles of parents' personal and social coping resources in a sample of 207 families of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Latent Profile Analysis identified four family profiles based on socieoeconomic risk, coping strategy utilization, family functioning, available social supports, and perceptions of family-centered support. During the time of children's transition to school, parents in the most disadvantaged group experienced the highest levels of parenting stress and depression, and their children had significantly lower adaptive behaviour scores and more parent-reported behavior problems than children in the other three groups.

Neurological evaluation of the selection stage of metaphor comprehension in individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder.

Because of their difficulties with figurative language in conversation, it is commonly thought that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) do not understand figurative meaning. However, recent research indicates that individuals with and without ASD are similar in the first two stages of metaphor comprehension, up to and including successful generation of the figurative meaning. In the current study, we used a sentence decision task to evaluate the subsequent stage of metaphor comprehension, the selection stage, which requires suppression/inhibition of the unintended meaning as part of selecting the intended meaning.

Beyond Sentences: Using the Expression, Reception, and Recall of Narratives Instrument to Assess Communication in School-Aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Purpose: Impairments in the social use of language are universal in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but few standardized measures evaluate communication skills above the level of individual words or sentences. This study evaluated the Expression, Reception, and Recall of Narrative Instrument (ERRNI; Bishop, 2004) to determine its contribution to assessing language and communicative impairment beyond the sentence level in children with ASD.

Method: A battery of assessments, including measures of cognition, language, pragmatics, severity of autism symptoms, and adaptive functioning, was administered to 74 8- to 9-year-old intellectually able children with ASD.

Psychometric Properties of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale: Parent Report in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Although anxiety is frequently reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), existing anxiety scales are often psychometrically inappropriate for this population. This study examined the internal structure, reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Parent Report (SCAS-P; Spence 1999) in 238 school-aged children with ASD. While confirmatory factor analysis did not support the original six-correlated-factor structure, structural support as well as acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity was found for Generalized Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Panic, and Agoraphobia subscales.

Impact of personal and social resources on parenting stress in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

This study examined the longitudinal associations between child behavior problems, coping strategies, social resources, and parenting stress in mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants were 283 mothers who completed self- and child-report measures at the time of diagnosis and 2 years later. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to predict overall parenting stress.

Joint trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder.

The co-occurring development of internalizing and externalizing problems were examined in an inception cohort of 392 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 3 who were assessed on four occasions. Results indicated that internalizing and externalizing problems were stable over time and highly comorbid. Joint trajectory analysis suggested that 13% of the sample followed a dual high-risk trajectory.

Stability and Change in the Cognitive and Adaptive Behaviour Scores of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

We examined the stability of cognitive and adaptive behaviour standard scores in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between diagnosis and school entry approximately age 6. IQ increased 18 points in 2-year-olds, 12 points in 3-year-olds, and 9 points in 4-year-olds (N = 281). Adaptive behaviour scores increased 4 points across age groups (N = 289).

Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Psychometrics and Associations With Child and Parent Variables.

Objective: The factor structure and validity of the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS; Crist & Napier-Phillips, 2001) were examined in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the original BPFAS five-factor model, the fit of each latent variable, and a rival one-factor model. None of the models was adequate, thus a categorical exploratory factor analysis (CEFA) was conducted.

Developmental trajectories of symptom severity and adaptive functioning in an inception cohort of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder.

Importance: Symptom severity and adaptive functioning are fundamental domains of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenotype. To date, the longitudinal association between these 2 domains has not been examined.

Objective: To describe the developmental trajectories of autistic symptom severity and adaptive functioning in a large inception cohort of preschool children with ASD.

Do reciprocal associations exist between social and language pathways in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders?

Background: Differences in how developmental pathways interact dynamically in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) likely contribute in important ways to phenotypic heterogeneity. This study aimed to model longitudinal reciprocal associations between social competence (SOC) and language (LANG) pathways in young children with ASD.

Methods: Data were obtained from 365 participants aged 2-4 years who had recently been diagnosed with an ASD and who were followed over three time points: baseline (time of diagnosis), 6- and 12 months later.