Patterns of adaptive behavior in very young children with autism

The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales were used to investigate patterns of adaptive behavior in children with autism who were under 36 months of age. Subjects were 30 children with autism and 30 children with developmental de lay matched on CA and MA. Relative to controls, the autistic group demonstr ated weaker socialization and communication skills and greater discrepancie s between adaptive behavior and MA. Different patterns of relations between adaptive behavior domains and cognitive and language skills were obtained for the two groups. Preliminary support for the utility of adaptive behavio r profiles in identifying subgroups of children with autism is provided. Re sults are discussed in terms of their implications for early diagnosis of a utism.