Association Between Autistic Traits in Preschool Children and Later Emotional/Behavioral Outcomes.
Aya Saito, Andrew Stickley, Hideyuki Haraguchi and 3 others
PMID 28785972WHAT IT FOUND
In 189 community children, higher autistic traits at age 5 were linked to more emotional symptoms and peer problems at age 7, even after age 5 problems were considered.
Links were not clear for conduct, hyperactivity, and prosocial behavior.
Key findings
01For emotional symptoms and peer problems, age 5 autistic traits added predictive information after age 5 scores were controlled.
02Autistic traits at age 5 did not predict conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, or prosocial behavior at age 7 after age 5 scores were controlled.
03Peer problems at age 7 showed a large positive correlation with autistic traits at age 5, while conduct problems showed a weak correlation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study analyzed only 189 children after many families dropped out, so it may not represent all children. All information came from parents, not teachers or other observers, so shared parent reporting may influence the links. The sample came from one region of Tokyo and had higher maternal education than some comparison groups, so results may not apply everywhere in Japan. The study combined boys and girls because the sample was small, so sex differences could not be examined. Some SRS items resemble SDQ peer problems and prosocial behavior items, so the measures may overlap. The study was observational, so it cannot show that autistic traits caused later problems.
Declared interests
The study was funded by an Intramural Research Grant for Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan. No other conflicts of interest are reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that autistic traits cause later emotional or peer problems. The study was observational, and the authors say a causal relationship cannot be concluded.