And in the Same Vein... "Do Autistic Symptoms Persist Across Time?"

Evidence of Substantial Change in Symptomatology Over a 3-year Period in Cognitively Able Children With Autism

From the American Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

By Elizabeth Pellicano
March, 2012

According to a new paper by researchers led by Elizabeth Pellicano of the Centre for Research in Autism and Education in  London and colleagues from the University of Western Australia in Perth, the symptoms of autism in thirty-seven children studied over a 3-year period decreased significantly in response to intervention. Specifically, their social communications improved, and the frequency of repetitive behaviors declined.

The authors state, "Children showing diagnostic discontinuity (relief of symptoms)) were distinguishable from those who fulfilled ADOS-G criteria only in terms of the age at which they began receiving intervention. The presence of a significant proportion of children showing considerable progress over the 3-year period challenges assumptions of diagnostic continuity and highlights the potential long-term benefits of early intervention."

You can read an abstract or order the entire paper HERE.