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Cited by 69Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchChild Nutrition and Feeding IssuesGenetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Classifying and characterizing the development of adaptive behavior in a naturalistic longitudinal study of young children with autism

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Farmer, Cristan, Swineford, Lauren, Swedo, Susan E., Thurm, Audrey·2018·Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
DOI 10.1186/s11689-017-9222-9PMC PMC5795287
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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Adaptive behavior, or the ability to function independently in ones' environment, is a key phenotypic construct in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Few studies of the development of adaptive behavior during preschool to school-age are available, though existing data demonstrate that the degree of ability and impairment associated with ASD, and how it manifests over time, is heterogeneous. Growth mixture models are a statistical technique that can help parse this heterogeneity in trajectories. METHODS: Data from an accelerated longitudinal natural history study (n = 105 children with ASD) were subjected to growth mixture model analysis. Children were assessed up to four times between the ages of 3 to 7.99 years. RESULTS: The best fitting model comprised two classes of trajectory on the Adaptive Behavior Composite score of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, Second Edition-a low and decreasing trajectory (73% of the sample) and a moderate and stable class (27%). CONCLUSIONS: These results partially replicate the classes observed in a previous study of a similarly characterized sample, suggesting that developmental trajectory may indeed serve as a phenotype. Further, the ability to predict which trajectory a child is likely to follow will be useful in planning for clinical trials.

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  • The ABAS-II has been validated for capturing adaptive functioning impairments with good test-retest reliability and convergent validity.

    “Multiple studies have validated the ABAS-II for capturing adaptive functioning impairments with good test–retest reliability and convergent validity (Farmer et al., 2018; Harrison & Oakland, 2003; Kenworthy et al., 2010; Milne et al., 2013).”

    From Parenting Stress, Child Social Functioning, and Part C Early Intervention in Predominantly Low-Income Families of Children With or at High Risk for Developmental Delay From Minoritized Racial and Ethnic Groups (2023) · cites this paper as Farmer et al., 2018

    The Methods > Measures section identifies the instrument used as the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition (VABS), not the ABAS-II. Searches for ABAS-II and its full name returned no passage addressing its test–retest reliability or convergent validity; this copy therefore does not substantiate the claim attributed to Farmer et al. (LLM, conf=0.77)

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References 46 · Cited by 69

Research works printed but not linked: 32

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Authors
Farmer, C., Swineford, L., Swedo, S. E., & Thurm, A.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Thurm, Audrey
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2018-01-05
Volume
10
Issue
1
Pages
1-1
ISSN
  • 1866-1947 (ISSN-L)
  • 1866-1955
DOI
10.1186/s11689-017-9222-9
PMC
PMC5795287
OpenAlex
W2782503203
Cited by
69
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 4
FWCI
4.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (ZIA-MH-002868)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Keywords
adaptive behavior, autism spectrum disorder, developmental trajectories, trajectory heterogeneity, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, natural history (disease), growth mixture modeling, phenotypes, clinical trial design
MeSH terms
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adaptation, Psychological, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Phenotype, Severity of Illness Index

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