Follow-up of children diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders: stability and change during the preschool years.

Lóa and her team tracked 45 Icelandic preschoolers with PDDs for two years.

They tested IQ and autism severity at age 3 and again at age 5.

The kids had childhood autism, PDD-NOS, or Asperger's.

IQ scores stayed almost the same.

Autism symptoms dropped a little on the CARS scale.

Children with childhood autism stayed more impaired than the other groups.

Giserman-Kiss et al. (2020) later showed 88 % of kids kept their ASD label, matching the stable IQ seen here.

Van Hanegem et al. (2014) used ADOS scores and found four clear symptom paths, backing up the modest CARS decline.

Warnes et al. (2005) found early onset or regression history did not predict later IQ, echoing the stability Lóa saw.

Wehman et al. (1989) followed kids into middle childhood and saw autistic boys stay mostly non-verbal, supporting the finding that childhood autism carries the heaviest load.

You can reassure parents that cognitive scores are unlikely to crash during preschool.

Focus goals on small gains in social and communication skills rather than big IQ jumps.

Kids labeled childhood autism may need more intensive early language and peer programs.