# Trajectories of Autism Symptom Severity Change During Early Childhood

## TL;DR

This study tracks how autism symptoms change in young children over time, finding that some children's symptoms decrease, some stay the same, and others get worse.

## Contribution

The study identifies distinct trajectories of symptom severity change in early childhood autism and notes gender differences in these patterns.

## Key findings

- 28.8% of children showed decreased autism symptom severity over time.
- Girls were more likely to show decreased severity and less likely to show increased severity compared to boys.
- There was no clear link between intervention history and symptom severity change patterns.

## Abstract

Autism symptom severity change was evaluated during early childhood in 125 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children were assessed at approximately 3 and 6 years of age for autism symptom severity, IQ and adaptive functioning. Each child was assigned a change score, representing the difference between ADOS Calibrated Severity Scores (CSS) at the two ages. A Decreased Severity Group (28.8%) decreased by 2 or more points; a Stable Severity Group (54.4%) changed by 1 point or less; and an Increased Severity Group (16.8%) increased by 2 or more points. Girls tended to decrease in severity more than boys and increase in severity less than boys. There was no clear relationship between intervention history and membership in the groups.