Mapping Early Symptom Trajectories in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Lessons and Challenges for Clinical Practice and...

Variability in the trajectory of clinical symptoms in the early emerging presentation of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exists within an individual child over time and between different children at any point in time and across time. Georgiades et al.¹ recently coined the term "chronogeneity" to indicate these within- and between-participant patterns of variability over time. In clinical practice, this is often the focus of questions that parents ask clinicians at or soon after diagnosis: "Can you tell us what the future holds and will his (her) symptoms improve or get worse?" The variability or heterogeneity within and between children on the autism spectrum makes that a tough question to answer, however well one understands the motivation of the parent or caregiver in asking it.