About one in 14 toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) no longer met the diagnostic criteria by elementary school, but new research shows most continued to struggle with emotional and behavioral problems.
ASD symptoms were believed to resolve themselves over time in some cases, but little research has been conducted to determine whether or not these children still have problems in school and in their daily lives, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported.
This new study looked at 38 children diagnosed with ASD between 2003 and 2013 whose symptoms were deemed resolved about four years later. The children were part of a group of 569 children living in the Bronx who were diagnosed with ASD. Forty-four percent of the participants were Hispanic, "36 percent were Caucasian, 10 percent were African-American and 46 percent were on Medicaid."
The findings showed that while ASD symptoms resolved themselves in some of these children, most continued so have learning, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that required attention.
"Autism generally has been considered a lifelong condition, but 7 percent of children in this study who received an early diagnosis experienced a resolution of autistic symptoms over time," said developmental pediatrician Lisa Shulman, director of Infant and Toddler Services and the Rehabilitation, Evaluation and Learning for Autistic Infants and Toddlers program at the Children's Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center, Rose F. Kennedy Center at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Children's Hospital at Montefiore. "The majority of the children at original diagnosis displayed intellectual disability but at the point of resolution of autistic symptomatology displayed normal cognition."
The data showed 92 percent of the children who had resolved symptoms had residual impairments, and only three of the 38 children had not diagnosis. Language and learning disabilities were seen in 68 percent of the subjects, and about half showed signs of ADD, ADHD, and other disruptive behaviors. About 24 percent had internalizing problems such as OCD and anxiety, and about three-quarters required education support.
"When an early ASD diagnosis resolves, there are often other learning and emotional [and] behavioral diagnoses that remain," Shulman said. "Understanding the full range of possible positive outcomes in this scenario is important information for parents, clinicians and the educational system."
