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Communication deficits in babies and infants with autism and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified

Max Horovitz1, Johnny L Matson

  • 1Psychology, Louisiana State University, 3333 Woodlandridge Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70816, USA.

Developmental Neurorehabilitation
|October 5, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Toddlers with autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) show significant communication impairments. These deficits are evident in early development, impacting various communication skills before 37 months of age.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) are neurodevelopmental conditions.
  • Communication impairments are a core diagnostic feature of ASD and PDD-NOS.
  • Early identification and characterization of these impairments are crucial for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and nature of communication impairments in toddlers diagnosed with autism or PDD-NOS.
  • To compare communication skills between toddlers with ASD/PDD-NOS and typically developing toddlers.
  • To differentiate communication profiles among toddlers with autism, PDD-NOS, and other developmental delays.

Main Methods:

  • Study 1: Compared communication scores using the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT)-Part 1 between 20 toddlers with ASD/PDD-NOS and 20 typically developing toddlers.
  • Study 2: Compared communication scores among 660 toddlers across three groups: autism, PDD-NOS, and non-ASD-related developmental delay.

Main Results:

  • Toddlers with ASD exhibited significantly greater overall communication impairments compared to typically developing toddlers.
  • All individual communication items assessed showed significant differences between ASD and typically developing groups.
  • Significant differences in overall communication impairments and most individual items were found across the autism, PDD-NOS, and non-ASD developmental delay groups.

Conclusions:

  • Toddlers diagnosed with autism and PDD-NOS demonstrate significant communication impairments.
  • These communication deficits are identifiable in toddlers under 37 months of age.
  • The findings underscore the importance of early screening for communication challenges in at-risk populations.
Abstract

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