Developmental profile and regression in a child with autism: a single case study.
Autism can include clear skill loss between 12-24 months—track any missing words or social behaviors during toddler visits.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hastings et al. (2001) filmed and tested one toddler who lost words and eye contact.
They charted every skill month-by-month to show when the slide began.
What they found
Language and play stopped growing between 12 and 18 months.
Social smiling and pointing kept fading after that.
How this fits with other research
Prigge et al. (2013) and Tan et al. (2021) pooled many studies and found the same window—about one in three kids with autism lose skills around 18-20 months.
Casey et al. (2009) later tracked a whole state and saw the same pattern, just a little later at 24 months.
Boterberg et al. (2019) add a warning sign: the babies who later regress already show weaker babbling and waving before the loss hits.
Why it matters
If you assess a toddler, ask parents about any lost words, gestures, or smiles.
Note the age and keep video when you can.
Early marks of regression point to kids who may need denser intervention and closer progress checks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The developmental profile of a child with autism during the first 3 years of life is presented. Clinical material obtained from different sources is discussed: home videos from birth to 3 years, and cognitive and communicative evaluations at 24, 34 and 38 months. The videos show how the child appeared to make progress up to 12 months, but from 12 to 18 months some abilities that had been previously acquired were lost, and a decrease in social interaction, communication and language was observed. From 18 to 38 months communicative and linguistic abilities remained unchanged, but social interactive behaviours continued to decrease. The particular profile identified is discussed as one of the possible pathways through which autism may develop.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2001 · doi:10.1177/1362361301005003006