Infantile Autism with Speech Loss before the Age of Thirty Months

doi:10.1016/S0002-7138(09)60447-7

Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry

Volume 24, Issue 2, March 1985, Pages 191-196

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-7138(09)60447-7 Get rights and content

Of 261 children with infantile autism, 97 (37.2%) showed a total loss of the articulation of meaningful words before 30 months of age (speech loss). Speech loss tended to appear more frequently in girls than boys. The median age of onset of speech loss was 18 months. Most of the lost words were those of ordinary baby talk. The autistic children with speech loss had developed a limited meaningful vocabulary earlier, but demonstrated more retarded mental development several years after their speech loss than those without such regression. The causation and the clinical importance of speech loss are discussed.

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One reason that language skills have most typically been reported is that it is more unconcealed and clearly recognizable for the parents than non-verbal communication and social interaction skills. As a consequence, in some studies (e.g., Kurita, 1985; Lainhart et al., 2002), children who only experienced social skill losses without regression in language were included in the non-regression group. More recently, researchers have also included regression in other domains than spoken language within the definition, including loss of non-verbal communication (e.g., gestures), more basic social skills (e.g., the use of eye gaze), social withdrawal, and/or loss in play, motor, and adaptive skills (e.g., Davidovitch et al., 2000; Gadow et al., 2017; Goin-Kochel et al., 2014; Hansen et al., 2008; Ozonoff et al., 2005; Siperstein and Volkmar, 2004).
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During the course of the regression, children cease to produce words that previously seemed a permanent part of their vocabulary while others showed marked reductions in their verbalizations, often to the point where they discontinue speaking altogether. Kurita [30] and Rutter [33] stated that around 20–40% of children, who had regression, lost all expressive language. Although regression age of language domain was 19.16 months in present study however large scale study done by Kurita [30] found 37.2% of 261 children lost speech preceding to 30 months of age.
Regression in autism applies to the phenomenon of apparently normal early development followed by the loss of previously acquired skills and manifestation of symptoms of autism. Estimates of the frequency of regression in autism range from 10% to 50%. Although there are tools available to evaluate and diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorders, however, there is no published tool available in Indian context to identify the children with ASD at an early age. The study was aimed to describe the differences in language regression between children with ASD and typically developing children and also to determine the age of regression.
Regression screening tool, a questionnaire was developed based on Regression Supplement Form (Goldberg et al., 2003). The skills were validated by five Clinical Psychologists. It comprised of 16 skills which included domains like, ‘spoken language and non verbal communication’, ‘social interest and responsiveness’ and ‘play and imagination’. This retrospective study was conducted on a single group. The participants consisted of parents of 30 children with ASD (22 males and 8 females).
The findings revealed a significant regression in children with ASD. The mean regression age is 20.19 months (SD-5.2). The regression profile of the children with ASD revealed regression of language skills occurred at 19.16 months followed by non language skills at 20.5 months.
Based on the findings it can be stated that inclusion of regression screening tool will offer clinicians a convenient tool to examine the phenomena of regression in children with ASD and identify them as early as 21 months of age for early intervention.
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This study was supported in part by a grant from the National Center for Nervous, Mental and Muscular Disorders of Japan.

The author would like to thank Yasuo Shimizu, M.D., and Yoko Kawasaki, M.D., for their collaboration as members of the diagnostic team in this study.

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ARTICLEInfantile Autism with Speech Loss before the Age of Thirty Months

Schizophrenic syndrome in childhood

Brit. Med. J.

Pregnancy, delivery, and neonatal complications among autistic children

Amer. J. Dis. Child.

The autistic child in adolescence

Amer. J. Psychiat.

Pre-, peri-, and neonatal factors and infantile autism

J. Child Psychol. Psychiat.

A neurological appraisal of autistic children

Develpm. Med. Child Neurol.

Age and type of onset as critical variables in early infantile autism

J. Aut. Childh. Schizo.

V. Cerebral dysfunction and childhood psychoses

Brit. J. Psychiat.

Childhood autism

Brit. J. Psychiat.

ARTICLE
Infantile Autism with Speech Loss before the Age of Thirty Months