Regression, developmental trajectory and associated problems in disorders in the autism spectrum: the SNAP study.

Baird et al. (2008) looked at how many children with autism lose early words.

They tracked three groups: narrow autism, broader ASD, and kids without ASD.

Doctors and parents reported if each child had ever lost spoken words.

About 30 out of every 100 kids with narrow autism had lost words.

Only 8 out of 100 in the broader ASD group had lost words.

Kids who lost words showed more severe autism signs later.

Woo et al. (2007) saw 61% regression in vaccine-safety reports.

That number is double Gillian’s 30%. The gap comes from who gets reported.

Parents are more likely to file reports when they see dramatic loss.

Richler et al. (2006) also found that kids with word loss had lower verbal scores.

Amaria et al. (2012, 2018) later showed these kids stay on slower adaptive tracks for years.

When you meet a child who once had words and lost them, expect stronger autism traits.

Plan denser early intervention hours and track adaptive skills long-term.

Tell families that word loss is common in classic autism and is not caused by vaccines.