How early do parent concerns predict later autism diagnosis?
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between parent concerns about development in the first year and a half of life and later autism diagnostic outcomes. METHOD: Parent concerns about development were collected for infants at high and low risk for autism, using a prospective, longitudinal design. Parents were asked about developmental concerns at study intake and when their infant was 6, 12, and 18 months. Infants were then followed up until 36 months, when diagnostic status was determined. RESULTS: By the time their child was 12 months, parents who have an older child with autism reported significantly more concerns in autism spectrum disorders-related areas than parents of children with typical outcomes. These concerns were significantly related to independent measures of developmental status and autism symptoms and helped predict which infants would later be diagnosed with autism or autism spectrum disorders. At 6 months, however, the concerns of parents who have an older child with autism do not predict outcome well. CONCLUSION: Explicitly probing for parent concerns about development is useful for identifying children in need of closer monitoring and surveillance, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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Parental concerns at 12 months have 82% sensitivity and 60% specificity in predicting autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.
“By comparison, parental concerns at 12 months have 82% sensitivity and 60% specificity in predicting ASD diagnosis (Ozonoff et al ., 2009).”
From Early brain enlargement and elevated extra-axial fluid in infants who develop autism spectrum disorder (2013) · cites this paper as Ozonoff et al., 2009
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- Authors
- Ozonoff, S., Young, G. S., Steinfeld, M. B., Hill, M. M., Cook, I., Hutman, T., Macari, S., Rogers, S. J., & Sigman, M.
- Affiliations
- University of California Davis Medical Center (US)
- University of California, Davis (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ozonoff, Sally
- Young, Gregory S.
- Steinfeld, Mary Beth
- Hill, Monique M.
- Cook, Ian
- Rogers, Sally J.
- Venue
- Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics
- Published
- 2009-10
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 367-375
- ISSN
- 0196-206X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2919345
- OpenAlex
- W2054667680
- Cited by
- 210
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 2.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH068398, U54MH068172)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, autism diagnosis, high-risk infants, child development monitoring, autism screening, infant development
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Child Development, Developmental Disabilities, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Infant, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Parents, Prospective Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, ROC Curve, Time Factors, Siblings
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