Regressive Autism: A Study In Early Developmental Patterns

Introduction Under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), a relatively small but significant population of individuals is retroactively diagnosed with the condition of regressive autism—that is, the loss of language and/or social skills that were previously held by the individual. This regression, often observed and reported to have occurred within the first two years of life, is a subset of ASD and is frequently noted only after it has fully occurred, leaving no opportunity for preventative therapeutic measures to be taken. This small window of opportunity has resulted in a significant lack of technical and clinical information on possible therapy techniques to reverse or decrease the effects of regression on children with autism. With this in mind, if the parents or clinicians of children with autism are trained to recognize possible signs of regression before the child is fully regressed, further studies can be done on possible therapy techniques to limit word, language, or social skill loss. The characteristics, onset age, and formal process of diagnosing autism spectrum disorders are variable, which does not lend to an identifiably concrete process of development. However, resources such as the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 th Edition (DSM-5) present sufficient evidence on the nature of autism for this study to reference children who are diagnosed with autism without regression as children with " typically developing autism. " Therefore, the purpose of this literature review is to compare the early development of children with regressive autism to the early development of children with typically developing autism, in order to determine the differences 2 that may be seen (possibly even before formal autism diagnosis), so that this knowledge might be applied for practical use in a clinical or diagnostic setting. Due to the varied and extensive studies based on language and social skills in autism, a standardized pattern emerges that can be generalized to a majority of the population, and therefore used to form a basis for further studies of individuals and groups of individuals with autism spectrum disorder 1. In 2011, Thomas W. Frazier et al. set out to conduct a study regarding the symptomatology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The principal focus of this study was to test the validity of the new criteria for diagnosing ASDs that was to be included in the forthcoming Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 th Edition (DSM-5). Because Frazier accrued data from …