Categorizing and identifying preferred interests in autistic toddlers.
MaryKate Frisch, Kirsty L Coulter, Rebecca P Thomas and 3 others
PMID 38770793WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic toddlers were more likely to have parent-reported preferred interests than peers with delays or no diagnosis.
However, the specific types of interests did not differ between groups. Clinicians should assess how intensely a child engages with an interest, not just what the interest is.
Key findings
01Parents of autistic children were more likely to report at least one preferred interest than parents of children with developmental delays or no diagnosis.
02The specific categories of preferred interests (e.g., toys, vehicles, household objects) did not significantly differ among the diagnostic groups.
03Child age, sex, and cognitive ability did not predict the likelihood of having preferred interests in this toddler sample.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample consisted only of children referred for autism concerns or delays, so the 'no diagnosis' group may not represent typical development. Interest data was collected retrospectively from clinical interviews, and parents were not always required to write down the specific interest, leading to missing details. The coding system for interest types had inconsistent reliability, particularly for broad categories like 'household objects' and 'sensory', making it hard to trust the group comparisons for interest types. The study did not measure the intensity or unusualness of the interests directly, only their presence and type.
Declared interests
Drs. Robins, Barton, and Fein are co-owners of M-CHAT LLC, which licenses the M-CHAT screening tool. Dr. Robins serves on the advisory board for Quadrant Biosciences, Inc., and the program quality committee for Bancroft. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that specific interest types (like liking vehicles or household objects) are diagnostic markers for autism. This study found no difference in interest types between autistic toddlers and those with delays or no diagnosis; the key differentiator was the likelihood of having any highly restricted interest at all.