Parental First Concerns and Timing of Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis.
Tracy A Becerra-Culqui, Frances L Lynch, Ashli A Owen-Smith and 2 others
PMID 29754290WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers of children diagnosed with autism before age 3 more often noticed poor eye contact, delayed pointing, and lack of response to their name.
Concerns about not initiating social interactions were linked to later diagnoses. These non-verbal signs may help clinicians identify children needing earlier evaluation.
Key findings
01Poor eye contact was significantly associated with an autism diagnosis before age 3.
02Concerns about not initiating social interactions were associated with a diagnosis at age 3 or older.
03Delays in pointing/gesturing and response to own name were associated with early diagnosis, particularly when parents raised the concern first.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study relies on retrospective recall by parents, which may be less accurate for children diagnosed early due to longer time since diagnosis. The sample was restricted to children aged 9 and older, so findings may not apply to current diagnostic trends or younger cohorts. The survey did not capture detailed information on children's cognitive or speech functioning, which could influence diagnosis timing. Response rate was 12.9%, and participants may be more health-literate or have better internet access than the general population.
Declared interests
No specific conflicts of interest or funding sources were detailed in the provided text, though the study used data from the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and the Mental Health Research Network.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the association between 'not initiating social interactions' and later diagnosis as evidence that social initiation deficits are less severe. This finding may reflect diagnostic bias or the different presentation of children with Asperger's syndrome, who were more common in the later-diagnosed group.