The first year inventory: retrospective parent responses to a questionnaire designed to identify one-year-olds at risk for autism.
The First Year Inventory validly flags 12-month-olds later diagnosed with ASD, so add it to your early-screening toolkit.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Parents filled out the First Year Inventory after their kids were already in preschool.
They looked back at how their child acted at 12 months.
Kids later had ASD, DD, or typical development.
Researchers checked if FYI scores matched the later diagnosis.
What they found
ASD group had the highest FYI risk scores.
DD and typical groups scored lower.
The tool sorted the three groups well.
How this fits with other research
Ben-Itzchak et al. (2021) ran the same FYI forward in time.
They watched babies, then waited for diagnoses.
Both studies show the FYI spots ASD risk at 12 months.
Boudreau et al. (2015) used a different parent form, POEMS, and also saw early signs by 12 months.
Together, three parent checklists now point to the same age window.
Why it matters
You can mail the FYI before the first birthday.
High scores give you a short list of babies who need a closer look.
Start screening, then fast-track to early intervention while the brain is most plastic.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The First Year Inventory (FYI) is a parent questionnaire designed to assess behaviors in 12-month-olds that suggest risk for an eventual diagnosis of autism. We examined the construct validity of the FYI by comparing retrospective responses of parents of preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 38), other developmental disabilities (DD; n = 15), and typical development (TD; n = 40). Children with ASD were rated at significantly higher risk on the FYI than children with DD or TD. The DD group was at intermediate risk, also significantly higher than the TD group. These retrospective data strengthen the validity of the FYI and have implications for refining the FYI to improve its utility for prospective screening of 12-month-olds.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2007 · doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0334-4