Cognitive and Adaptive Skills in Toddlers Who Meet Criteria for Autism in DSM-IV but not DSM-5.

DSM-5 criteria were applied after the evaluations, so the groups may not match how clinicians would diagnose these toddlers in real time. The clinicians may not have collected all information needed for a retrospective DSM-5 diagnosis, especially sensory issues. The non-ASD comparison group had other developmental delays, not typical development, so the toddlers who did not meet DSM-5 criteria may still differ from typically developing children. The group who met DSM-5 criteria but not DSM-IV criteria had only 17 toddlers and was excluded from the main comparisons. The study used Vineland standard scores, not age equivalents, and adaptive profiles can change depending on which score is used.

Do not conclude that toddlers who had a DSM-IV diagnosis but did not meet DSM-5 criteria have no autism-related impairment. Their mean Vineland Socialization score was 73.07, compared with 79.22 in the non-ASD group, and their mean CARS total score was 28.73, compared with 21.94.