Prevalence and nature of prior developmental and medical concerns in toddlers who screen positive for autism in primary care.

The study relied entirely on electronic health records, which may not capture all caregiver concerns or those discussed but not documented. Caregiver and provider concerns were combined because clinical notes often lacked specific attribution, making it impossible to distinguish who raised which concern. The sample came from a single academic healthcare network with universal screening, which may not reflect practices in other settings. There were no comparisons with children who screened negative, so the specificity of prior concerns for positive screens cannot be determined.

Dr. Dawson is on advisory boards for several pharmaceutical and tech companies (Akili, Zynerba, Tris Pharma) and has developed technology licensed to Apple and Cryocell. The study was funded by NIH.

Do not assume motor delays are specific to autism. While they appeared earliest in this group, motor concerns were equally common in children who did not receive an autism diagnosis, so early motor delay alone is not a definitive predictor of autism.