Loss of skills and onset patterns in neurodevelopmental disorders: Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms.
Audrey Thurm, Elizabeth M Powell, Jeffrey L Neul and 2 others
PMID 29226600WHAT IT FOUND
Some children with autism lose previously gained language and social communication skills, at an average age of 1.78 years.
Parent reports alone may miss these losses, and regressive onset does not consistently predict greater impairment.
Key findings
01A meta-analysis of 85 studies estimated regression prevalence at 32.1%, and the mean age of regression was 1.78 years.
02Parent report may underdetect regression because less than half of participants with video-evidenced regression were reported by parents as having significant skill loss.
03The link between regressive onset and later impairment is inconsistent: some studies report greater communication and adaptive impairment, while others report no differences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This is a workshop summary and narrative review, not a new study of patients or an intervention trial. The studies included used different definitions of regression, so rates and findings are not directly comparable. Parent report of regression was unreliable, with low agreement between parent report and home video. Associations between regressive onset and later impairment or ASD symptoms were inconsistent across studies. The neurobiological mechanisms are hypotheses from imaging, animal, and postmortem work, not proven causes of regression in ASD. Rett syndrome findings are used as a model and may not apply to children with ASD.
Declared interests
The supplied text says the National Institutes of Health hosted the workshop, and the publication types list NIH and non-U.S. government research support. It does not include an author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that regressive onset proves a specific cause or predicts a worse outcome. The paper reports inconsistent associations with impairment and no association with vaccinations, gastrointestinal problems, or epilepsy.