Developmental profiles in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders referred for intervention.
Most preschoolers with ASD don’t look “classic”; plan for wide-ranging strengths, delays, and comorbidities.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Fernell et al. (2010) mapped the starting line for 208 preschoolers sent to one autism center. They looked at IQ, language, motor skills, and any extra diagnoses like ADHD or epilepsy.
The team wanted to see how many kids fit the classic autism picture versus mixed profiles.
What they found
Only two in ten children matched classic autism. The rest showed a patchwork: some had normal IQ but no words, others had low IQ plus seizures or hyperactivity.
Every child looked different, so one-size intervention plans would miss the mark.
How this fits with other research
Laugeson et al. (2014) followed similar preschoolers for two years and found language delay plus ASD starts worse socially but can improve, while low IQ keeps kids falling behind. This extends the snapshot by showing change over time.
Kantzer et al. (2018) tracked toddlers who first screened positive and confirmed that labels and extra conditions shift; re-check the whole profile every couple years.
Eussen et al. (2016) carried the story to age eleven: most still need neuropsychiatric support, proving early heterogeneity predicts long-term needs.
Matson et al. (2013) add that autism itself drags down daily living scores even when IQ is average, so adaptive testing should sit beside IQ in your battery.
Why it matters
For BCBAs, the takeaway is simple: test everything—IQ, language, adaptive, medical—and write separate goals for each deficit. Update the profile yearly because skills and comorbidities move. When only one in five kids fits textbook autism, personalized plans aren’t a luxury; they’re the standard of care.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add an adaptive-skill checklist and a brief parent interview about sleep, seizures, and attention to your intake packet.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aim was to characterize the panorama of developmental disorders in 208 preschool children with a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), referred to a specialized centre, the Autism Centre for Young Children (ACYC), for intervention. At the centre, a research team examined all children according to structured protocols and interviews. All available test data from their assessments prior to referral were scrutinized. The boy:girl ratio was 5.5:1. In 22% of the total group a period of regression, including speech and language, had occurred. Epilepsy had been diagnosed in 6% of the children. In 38% of the children there was a definite or highly suspected learning disability/mental retardation according to cognitive test results. About the same proportion had a developmental delay that at the time of assessment could not be definitely classified and in 23% there were clear indications of a normal intellectual function. About 40% of the group exhibited hyperactivity. Differences in expressive vocabulary and adaptive functioning were strongly related to cognitive level. About 20% of the group had AD as the dominating developmental disorder, i.e., they represented a clinical picture of "classic" autism. The majority in this group also had learning disability. Another 20%, had ASD combined with a normal intellectual level, some of these conformed to the clinical picture of Asperger syndrome. In a relatively large group (more than half) learning disability or a general developmental delay was as evident as the ASD. In a smaller group (8%) ASD criteria were questionably met. In this group attention deficits in connection with speech and language problems were prominent. The highly individual developmental profiles seen in children with ASDs have to be taken into account when planning intervention and follow-up. The children's medical characteristics also vary considerably and will be detailed in a further report.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2010 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2010.02.003