Developmental Profiles of Young Children Referred for Concern for Autism Spectrum Disorder: DBPNet Study

The aim of this study was to compare differences in cognitive, adaptive, and language function in young children referred for concerns for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are diagnosed with ASD vs those not diagnosed with ASD (no ASD). This prospective diagnostic study of 349 children < 6 years of age, with 250 diagnosed with ASD and 99 with no ASD, was conducted at 8 diagnostic centers. There were no differences in cognition between those diagnosed with ASD and those with no ASD. As compared to those with no ASD, children with ASD had significantly lower language and adaptive functioning. Children with no ASD had language and adaptive functioning similar to their cognitive function. Differences between developmental domains were also compared within the ASD and no ASD groups. There were no differences between any 2 areas of function in the no ASD group. However, there were significant differences within the ASD group, with cognitive function significantly higher than both language function and adaptive function. This study suggests that a discrepancy between adaptive and language skills beyond that expected based on cognitive function should heighten concern for ASD. Beyond the categorical diagnosis of ASD, it is important to assess all these developmental domains to develop comprehensive plans for interventions.