Studying the Emergence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in High-risk Infants: Methodological and Practical Issues

Overview

Journal J Autism Dev Disord

Publisher Springer

Date 2006 Aug 10

PMID 16897376

Citations 89

Authors

Lonnie Zwaigenbaum

Audrey Thurm

Wendy Stone

Grace Baranek

Susan Bryson

Jana Iverson

Alice Kau

Ami Klin

Cathy Lord

Rebecca Landa

Sally Rogers

Marian Sigman

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Detecting early signs of autism is essential for timely diagnosis and initiation of effective interventions. Several research groups have initiated prospective studies of high-risk populations including infant siblings, to systematically collect data on early signs within a longitudinal design. Despite the potential advantages of prospective studies of young children at high-risk for autism, there are also significant methodological, ethical and practical challenges. This paper outlines several of these challenges, including those related to sampling (e.g., defining appropriate comparison groups), measurement and clinical implications (e.g., addressing the needs of infants suspected of having early signs). We suggest possible design and implementation strategies to address these various challenges, based on current research efforts in the field and previous studies involving high-risk populations.

Citing Articles

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Investigating the Predictive Validity of the Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 in Children at Elevated Likelihood for Autism.

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Atypical functional connectivity between the amygdala and visual, salience regions in infants with genetic liability for autism.

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